When we talk about major events like World Cups, one of the most commonly used words regardless of the sport is ‘legacy’. And it makes perfect sense. Players are remembered by casual fans for how they perform on✃ the big stage, particularly in a winning cause. While that may not be the fairest way to judge the overall career of an elite athlete, ‌they have the most eyeballs during biꦡg tournaments. 

The 2023 Cricket World Cup will be the last dance for some of the ⭕best players of this generation. We talk about 5 great players that are playing thei♓r last WC.

This is our list of the players t🉐hat are playing their last Cricket World Cup.

  1. David Warner (Australia) – 992 runs @ 62/98, four 100s & three 50s
  2. Rohit Sharma (India) – 978 runs @ 65/96, six 100s & three 50s
  3. Ben Stokes (England) – 465 runs @ 66/93 | 7 wickets @ 35.14/43.57, 4.84 econ
  4. Mitchell Starc (Australia) – 49 wickets @ 14.82/19.12, 4.65 econ
  5. Trent Boult (New Zealand) – 39 wickets @ 21.79/28.31, 4.62 econ
Five players that are playing their las cricket world cup icon

1. David Warner (Australia)

The 36-year-old southpaw is all set to retire from all formats of cricket by 2024. He wants the 2024 T20 World Cup to be hisꦫ last major event, but who knows if he makes it that far. Since the 2019 World Cup, he has scored 1407 r𒁃uns in 34 innings at an average of 42.63 and a strike rate of 99.71.

What is David Warner’s legacy? He finishes as one of the best white-ball openers, 🍸at least of this generation. He also has over 8k Test runs, so he’s definitely a bonafide all-format legend too.

Warner belongs to the elite club of players to have won a major title in all 3 formats of the game – the World Cup (2015), the T20 World Cup (2021) and the World Test Championship (2023). He has also captained the Sunrisers to their only IPL title in 2016. If he adds another World Cup to his🎐 illustrious cabinet, one more title would be a perfect way to go out.

2. Rohit Sharma (India)

The talented young batter from Mumbai failed to make the squad as India won their second World Cup. Who would have thought at the time that he would lead the team in the competition after 12 years? His story is inspiring for all the youngsters who did not make it – because there’s always another chance.

Rohit Sharma has been one of the biggest names in ODI cricket over the past decade. He recently became the second-fastest batter of all time to reach 10,000 runs in ODI cricket. Tha♏t is ꧅quite the rise when you consider he was not even among the 100 fastest batters to the 2k mark. He was the top run-getter in the 2019 edition, scoring 648 runs at an average of 81 and a strike rate of 98, with five centuries and a half-century.

His intent at the top of the order has been refreshing to watch. He has scored 907 runs in 23 innings at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 111 as a full-time skipper. That he has consciously changed his game according to the needs of the modern game deserves appreciation. The only major trophy that is missing from his cabinet is the World Cup, and looking at his age, it’s probably his last attempt at winning ෴the most prestigious tournament in cricket.

3. Ben Stokes (England)

The image of Ben Stokes putting his hands up after the overthrows in the World Cup final shall always be etched in our memories when we talk about the greatest moments in the tournament’s history. The star all-rounder is most commonly associated with the term ‘clutch’ because of his ability to win games from near-impossible scenarios and iconic performances in knockout matches – 2019 & 2022 finals.

But ꦍwhat is it that makes the English Test captain so good in the final stages of tꦿhe game?

Stokes has incredible game awareness – think of the time when he bunted the full toss off the last ball of the 2019 World Cup final. Or how he milked the field in the 2022 final. He seems to have three major gears in his innings – dead batting for a draw, ODI middle overs accumulation, and T20 death overs hitting. This makes him incredibly versatile, specifically in tough conditions.

Stokes is 32 and has already retired once from the format. He is probably not going to bowl in this World Cup either, so he essentially plays this tournament as a sp🔯ecialist middle-order batter. He may want to prioritize Test cricket along with freelancing in T20 franchises across the globe, going ahead in his career.

If this is the last time we see Stokes in a World Cup, the weird🌱est part will be that this is only his second tournament.

4. Mitchell Starc (Australia)

Is there a better co🍸mbination in world cricket that Mitch Starc and World ♚Cups?

R🌼emember Brendon McCullu✅m’s first 3 balls in the 2015 World Cup final? You just had to be there. That was Starc at the peak of his powers as a white-ball bowler. He was also one of the best bowlers in the IPL around the same time.

Since the 2019 World Cup, he has been among the top wicket-takers in the powerplay – 25 wickets in 91 overs at an average of 17.76, a strike rate of 21.84 and an economy rate of 4.88. This also accounts for the lean phase he had where he just couldn’t take a lot of wickets across formats.

Another great World Cup campaign, and he’ll be up there with the 🌠likes of McGrath as one of the greatest ODI bowlers of all time. Despite the fact he hasn’t played that many matches. The fact that he ﷽is a strike bowler in a much higher scoring era speaks volumes about his skills and consistency. He is 33, and it’s tough to expect a fast bowler to play another 50-over World Cup four years down line.

5. Trent Boult (New Zealand)

“I keep it very simple. I like to swing the ball so I’m generally trying to pitch it up. It comes with a bit of a risk, with players obviously liking to attack fuller-pitched bowling, but I think it’s a very simple game.” – Trent Boult

Trent Boult is perhaps the best new-ball bowler with the white ball at the moment. The left-arm seamer can move it both ways. His deceptive pace is too hot to handle, even for the best batters in the world, when he’s on song. His powerplay numbers since the last World Cup are near unfathomable – 18 wickets from 64 overs at an average of 12.50, a strike rate of 21.33, and an economy rate of 3.52.

If Boult has another all-timer World Cup campaign, much lik🙈e his Aussie counterpart Mitch Starc, he will sureꦦly establish himself in the pantheon of the greatest ODI bowlers in history. Although he will be a part of the World Cup this time around, he requested to be released from his central contract way back in August 2022. He is already 34, and it’s highly unlikely that he plays another four years of ODI cricket.

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With over 10 years of experience in the sports media industry, I am a passionate and versatile media entrepreneur and sports analyst. I also founded Good Areas, a network of podcasts, YouTube channels, and emailers that focus on how fans like sport, and that tell stories beyond the mainstream. You can follow Jarrod at Twitter (), Youtube (), Linkedin (), and Instagram ().