5 international stars who flopped in PSL 2020

The first round of Pakistan Super League 2020 is in the history books now as the top four teams of the competition get ready to play in the knockout phase. Peshawar Zalmi, Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans emerged as the top four teams in the first round. Unfortunately, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to call off the ongoing fifth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in the wake of Coronavirus outbreak.

The two semi-finals were slated to be played on Tuesday while the final was due to take place on Wednesday (March 18). However, the tournament was called off due to the increasing rate of Coronavirus cases in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, a lot of foreign players had already opted out of the competition. Several top overseas stars were a part of the league stage. The likes of Ben Dunk, Chris Lynn and others lit up the tournament. On the other side, there were a few big names from international cricket who could not match the expectations in the PSL 2020 league stage. And, here are the 5 international stars who flopped in PSL 2020.

Here are the five players:

1. Darren Sammy – Peshawar Zalmi 

The former T20 World Cup-winning captain, Darren Sammy began PSL 2020 as the captain of Peshawar Zalmi and now he is the head coach of the franchise. This shows that the team management lost faith in his playing abilities hence, they named him as their player-cum-coach. It is not that Sammy was not given any chance to prove himself.

The Caribbean player played 4 matches for Peshawar where he could amass only 44 runs at a disappointing average of 14.66. His strike rate of 104.76 reflects that he could not middle the deliveries in PSL 2020.

Sammy kicked off his campaign with a good knock of 30 runs against the Karachi Kings. He bowled a good spell against Quetta Gladiators ending with figures of 1/9 but his poor performances in the next two matches led to his ouster from the team.

2. Ravi Bopara – Multan Sultans

The table-toppers of PSL 2020, Multan Sultans impressed everyone with their clinical performances in the league stage. The Sultans lost only 2 of their 10 matches which shows their dominance. However, one of their overseas stars, Ravi Bopara could not play well in the first round. The Englishman played 4 matches for Multan where he scored only 51 runs.

Bopara played his first match against Karachi Kings where he got out for 9. He could not touch the double figures mark in the next two games as well. However, his performance improved in the game against Lahore Qalandars. The right-handed batsman played an innings of 33 runs with the bat and also bowled a spell of 0/17.

3. Tom Banton – Peshawar Zalmi 

Billed to be the next big thing in T20 cricket, Tom Banton was expected to destroy the opposition bowlers in his debut PSL season. He had a terrific outing in the Big Bash League while he even played well in the Abu Dhabi T10 League. Peshawar Zalmi signed him for PSL 2020 but, Banton could not continue his fine form.

Although he could not get going, Peshawar gave him an ample amount of opportunities. The 21-year-old wicket-keeper batsman played 7 matches for his team where he aggregated 74 runs at an average of 12.33.

He recorded two ducks in the league stage while he could breach the 30-run landmark only once. It was a season to forget for the youngster as he could only hit 2 maximums in 7 innings.

4. Tymal Mills – Quetta Gladiators

Even though Tymal Mills is no longer considered a threat in T20 cricket, no one can deny the fact that he is an extremely talented player. Mills is known for his variations with the ball and the left-arm pace bowler was once a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in IPL. He played 4 matches for the Quetta Gladiators in PSL 2020.

Known for his wicket-taking abilities, Mills could only pick up 5 wickets in PSL 2020’s league stage. He bowled 15 overs in the competition where he gave 122 runs at an economy rate of 8.13.

His worst outing came against Peshawar Zalmi where he failed to take a single wicket and gave away 33 runs in his spell. This proved to be the last match for him as Quetta did not use him after that.

5. Dale Steyn – Islamabad United

Perhaps, the biggest disappointment in the league stage of PSL 2020 was the poor form of South African fast bowler, Dale Steyn. The right-arm pacer was not a regular fixture in the South African T20I team during the series against Australia and England while even the Islamabad United team management did not pick him regularly.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore player featured in 4 matches for Islamabad where he could scalp only two wickets. Interestingly, he even bowled a maiden over in PSL 2020 but his main role was to pick up early wickets.

The Islamabad-based franchise finished at the last position on the points table and the poor form of their overseas star was one of the key reasons behind it. Dale Steyn will look to improve his performance when he plays for RCB in IPL 2020.