Cricket in 2018: Flop T20I XI of the year

2018 was an interesting year in T20I cricket. Moving away from the traditional bilateral affairs, many teams participated in triangular tournaments. We saw the Nidahas Trophy and England-New Zealand-Australia along with Australia-Pakistan-Zimbabwe being pitted against each other. The year was a witness to some jaw-dropping contests, which kept the audience at the edge of their seats. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Fakhar Zaman, Rashid Khan, Kuldeep Yadav and a few others dominated the year with their stupendous performances and turned out to be game-changers for their respective teams. Nevertheless, there were a few names who couldn’t quite step up and deliver the goods. Here is a team of XI who did not enjoy 2018 in T20I cricket. #1. Chris Lynn Chris Lynn. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) The hard-hitting Australian batsman is a specialist in T20 cricket. His prolific striking capability has earned him lucrative deals in the IPL, PSL and CPL. While Lynn remains a phenomenon in domestic cricket, he failed to replicate the power hitting in the international T20 matches this year. Lynn has batted in 12 matches for Australia this year. He accumulated 226 runs in these outings at a meagre batting average of 18.83. Lynn began with a string of good scores in the home T20Is against England and New Zealand but his weakness against spin was exposed in UAE by Pakistani bowlers. Even on the home tracks, the Australian batsman failed to dominate the visiting Indian bowlers. Matches: 13, Innings: 12, Runs: 226, Average: 18.83, Highest score: 44 #2. Glenn Phillips (WK) Glenn Phillips. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Born in South Africa, the 22-year old wicketkeeper rose to fame with his exploits in the adopted country, New Zealand. Glenn Phillips was the highest run-getter in New Zealand’s Super Smash 2016-17. He was soon called up in the national T20 team of New Zealand and earned a debut in February 2017 as an opener. This year, Phillips shined the Caribbean Premier League but faltered while playing for the Black Caps. In seven T20I matches played this year, the wicketkeeper scored only 68 runs at a paltry average of 11.33. His struggles were evident in UAE against Pakistan where he failed to give New Zealand fiery starts. Matches: 7, Innings: 7, Runs: 68, Average: 11.33, Highest score: 26 #3. Ben McDermott Ben McDermott. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images) Son of the former Australian fast bowler Craig McDermott grabbed the headlines with his sterling performances in the Big Bash League. His 114 from 52 balls for Hobart Hurricanes set him on the path for an Australian debut. The 24-year old received the call and made his T20I debut against UAE in October 2018. After 10 not out from 10 balls against UAE, McDermott was selected for three T20Is against Pakistan. The batsman went through an unbelievable patch of misfortune as he was run out in all three matches. After a solid 32 not out from 30 balls against India, McDermott finished the home series with another failure of 0(1). Matches: 8, Innings: 8, Runs: 72, Average: 14.40, Highest score: 32* #4. Shimron Hetmyer Shimron Hetmyer. (Photo Source: Twitter) A real surprise in the flop list of the T20 cricket for the 2018 year is the Windies batting sensation Shimron Hetmyer. While the Guyanese batsman was all flourishing and elegant in Tests and ODIs, he could not live up to his reputation in T20I cricket. Hetmyer played in three T20I series this year. In these matches against New Zealand, India and Bangladesh, the left-hander posted the highest score of only 26. He looked especially vulnerable to the Indian and Bangladeshi spinners. With an IPL gig approaching his way next year, Hetmyer will be hoping to improve his international numbers as well. Matches: 8, Innings: 6, Runs: 77, Average: 12.83, Highest score: 26 #5. Hamilton Masakadza Zimbabwe cricketer Hamilton Masakadza (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) Hamilton Masakadza has been the sturdy shoulder which has carried the Zimbabwean batting for years through thick and thin. In absence of their best batsmen, the 35-year old right-hander, often, gallantly stood, facing the toughest of the challenges. However, in the year where Zimbabwe played plenty of T20I cricket, Masakadza fell short in providing stability. Batting in the top order, Mazakadza featured in eight T20Is for Zimbabwe in 2018. These outings fetched him only 103 runs at an average of 12.87. His opponents varied from Afghanistan, South Africa, Pakistan and Australia but the Captian failed to get going. His strike rate in these eight games is only 89.56. Matches: 8, Innings: 8, Runs: 103, Average: 12.87, Highest score: 29 #6. Vijay Shankar Vijay Shankar of India A. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) The 27-year old Tamil Nadu all-rounder made ripples into the Indian cricket with his performances in the domestic cricket. Shankar’s powerful batting in the death overs and accompanying seam bowling earned him a spot in the Indian team for the Nidahas Trophy T20I tournament. Shankar received no batting opportunities in the first four matches but bowled in all five matches including the final. The all-rounder picked up three wickets and remained expensive at an economy of 9.00. In the final, Shankar conceded 48 runs in four overs against Bangladesh. Coming to bat in a crunch situation, his 17(19) mounted excess pressure on the Indian team. It was Dinesh Karthik’s famous knock that alleviated Shankar from a stinging criticism. Matches: 5, Innings: 1, Runs: 17, Batting average: 17, Wickets: 3, Bowling average: 51. #7. Carlos Brathwaite (C) Windies T20I captain Carlos Brathwaite. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Carlos Brathwaite had been around the international scene since 2011 but he left an indelible mark on the game in the 2016 T20 World Cup final. The Windies all-rounder struck four sixes in the last over of Ben Stokes to help his team clinch the prestigious trophy. He was subsequently promoted as the Captain, however, the hulk-like Brathwaite has failed to live up to the expectations. Batting on seven occasions, Brathwaite totalled 65 runs at a paltry average of 10.83. These 65 runs were scored in 71 balls, which is slow by any T20 standard. Even with the ball, the Windies captain has not been a force. He has snared nine wickets in 12 matches at a bowling average of 38.44 while conceding nine runs per over. Matches: 12, Innings: 7, Runs: 65, Batting average: 10.83, Wickets: 9, Bowling average: 38.44. #8. Mehidy Hasan Miraz Mehidy Hasan. (Photo Source: Twitter) Bangladesh’s rise in international cricket cannot be imagined without the success of their spinners. The off-spinner Mehidy Hasan was one of the significant names in the spin list. In Tests and ODIs, he emerged out as Bangladesh’s strike bowler and has supported the side with the bat as well. The 21-year old has been unable to translate the same magic in the shortest international format. Mehidy Hasan played 10 T20Is in this year for Bangladesh and went wicketless on all first eight matches. He eventually grabbed two wickets in the last two matches. On average, he has been way below-par. Matches: 10, Innings: 10, Wickets: 2, Bowling average: 119, Economy rate: 9.15 #9. Samuel Badree Samuel Badree. (Photo by Ashley Allen – CPL T20 via Getty Images) West Indies is renowned for its battery of pace bowlers but over the years, they have produced a few quality spinners as well. Samuel Badree, the 37-year old leg-spinner, has been playing first-class cricket for two decades now. Badree is not a big turner of the ball, but he gets his victims with his accuracy. The leg-spinner began 2018 with a spell of 1/23 against New Zealand on the first day of the year. However, Badree had to wait for seven matches and five months to get his next wicket. The spinner took 2/4 at the Lord’s against World XI in May 2018. Since then, he has not been picked in the team. Matches: 9, Innings: 9, Wickets: 3, Bowling average: 81, Economy rate: 8.37 #10. Abu Hider Rony Abu Hider Rony. (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) Bangladeshi bowlers had a miserable 2018 in T20I cricket. Their batsmen pulled off a few chases for them but the bowling department suffered at the hands of the oppositions. The 22-year-old Abu Hider was one amongst them. Hider made his T20I debut in January 2016 but was promptly dropped due to the dismal showing. Abu Hider struggled in 2018 as well. This year, he has picked up only three wickets in eight matches. In the recent home series against Windies, Hider was clobbered by the opposition batsmen with sheer disdain. In the third T20I, he conceded 39 runs in just two overs. Matches: 8, Innings: 8, Wickets: 3, Bowling average: 76, Economy rate: 9.12 #11. Tom Curran Tom Curran. (Photo Source: Twitter) While his younger brother Sam Curran won accolades in the Indian tour, Tom Curran struggled to establish himself in the T20I team of England. The right-arm medium pacer played his first T20I in June 2017 against South Africa. Earlier this year, he was chosen in the tri-series that involved England, Australia, and New Zealand. Tom Curran struggled in all three T20I matches that he played in. He ended up on the expensive side as he consistently conceded around 10 runs per over. Curran was later selected in a T20I against Sri Lanka but once again he conceded 40 runs in his four overs. He picked only a solitary wicket in these four games. Matches: 4, Innings: 4, Wickets: 1, Bowling average: 134, Economy rate: 10.30 Get the latest Cricket News and updates, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.

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Cricket in 2018: Flop T20I XI of the year

Here is a team of XI who did not enjoy 2018 in T20I cricket.

#6. Vijay Shankar

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