5 players who would be playing their last World Cup/last playing/international players.

 

               5 players  last  world cup 

With the World Cup just around the corner, the excitement, the anticipation and everything around it are gaining momentum. It is the biggest prize in modern day cricket and usually, this is where the great players leave a mark.

At the same time though, this is also the place where some great players bid adieu to this wonderful game. This is the time, this is the moment that everyone waits for, to shine on that big stage. This is something that separates the 'Big Guys' from the rest of the field.

But as they say, "Father time waits for no one", some of the 'Big Guys' from various teams would be playing their last World Cup and would be eager to make a mark on the big stage one final time.

Let's go through the list of players who would be playing their last World Cup:

#1 MS Dhoni

It's not even a secret. Dhoni is 37 years old and around a year ago, it seemed as if he might not even be able to make this one. It's not got much to do with his fitness because that has been top notch more often than not but it's more to do with him losing that hand-eye coordination with age, which made him vulnerable on the big stage. 

He's still a reliable player and has shown that if he's able to get his eye in, he can still keep those big hits going. But for how long? He's 37 now and with another World Cup 4 years away, do we see him playing till then? In all probability, this World Cup is going to be his last tournament in international cricket as well and he really would be looking to make an impact one last time.

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#2 Chris Gayle

The Universe Boss had announced some time back that the 2019 World Cup is going to be his last one, although after showing world-class form against England in the ODI series, he did seem like having a bit of a change of heart. Either way, even if the World Cup is not his last ODI tournament, one thing is for sure -- this World Cup is going to be his last one.

Gayle's fitness and agility have taken a hit in recent years and he surely doesn't look the same phenom that he was earlier. Still more than handy with the bat, this World Cup is going to be his final one at the international level. It would be interesting to see how many hundreds he can add to the 25 that he has already scored.

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#3 Dale Steyn

It's almost unfair to talk about last World Cups or anything last for Steyn who has just come back to international cricket after such a long lay-off. But there's one thing that's also true. At 35, we're not going to see that many more years coming out of him at the international level.

Surely one of the best fast bowlers of the 21st century, Dale Steyn has been slowly and steadily getting back to his natural rhythm and would be aware of the fact that this one is going to be his last one. At 35, you can expect him to spend a year or two more at the top level and then maybe ride off into the sunset with such a storied career behind him.

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#4 Ross Taylor

 It might surprise people but Ross Taylor is 35 years old. He's featured in three World Cups already and he surely is one of the best that the Black Caps have ever produced. His recent form is one of the best in international cricket with him scoring a whole lot of runs both in Test and ODI, which includes a ton against Sri Lanka in the ODI series in January. But you have to be honest and it is rightly said that Father time waits for no one.

Shall we see Taylor again four years down the line at the age of 39? It looks highly unlikely even with the kind of fitness that these guys maintain. Ross Taylor, arguably one of the best that New Zealand has ever produced, would certainly be playing his last World Cup in England this year.

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#5 David Warner

This is slightly contentious for two reasons. Firstly, David Warner is only 32 right now and secondly Warner just lost a year of international cricket because of the ban imposed on him for ball which would make him one of the hungriest players in world cricket right now. But then at the same time, you have to consider a few things as well. 

First of all, Warner would be 36 by the time the next World Cup is upon us and secondly, he's part of the Australian team that is known to be ruthless when it comes to selection. With a game primarily dependent on hand-eye coordination, will Warner be able to keep it together in the later years? It's highly unlikely and that's why, in my view, we could be seeing Warner playing his last World Cup