Flop T20I XI of the year

Another year has almost passed by and it has witnessed a lot of international cricket. Almost 500 international games were played in 2019, out of which more than 300 were T20I. International cricket’s shortest format even breached the 1000-game mark this year. However, there were a lot of players who had brilliant seasons while quite a few of them had disappointing ones. Some of the big names didn’t have the best of times either. T20 is not an easy format to play and some players found that out the hard way. Thus, with 2019 coming to an end, we look at a flop XI that did not perform as per expectation this year: (Note: Only Test-playing nations considered) 1. Shikhar Dhawan Shikhar Dhawan (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) 2018 was an excellent year for Shikhar Dhawan, the T20I batsman. He was often criticised for his approach and inconsistency. But he shut his critics as he 689 runs (average of 40.53 and strike-rate of 147.22) in the year which was the most by any player (back then) in a calendar year. However, 2019 has seen him go back to his inconsistent self in T20I cricket. It’s been a big struggle for him and 2018 and 2019 have been very contrasting times for the Delhi left-hander. He has made 272 runs at an average of 22.67. His strike-rate is also a worrying factor which is 110.57 this year. If you see his scores, you’d say that Dhawan is getting starts as he’s had just three single-figure scores from 12 innings. But he has struggled. Moreover, it has affected India’s tempo of the innings as well. 2. Fakhar Zaman Fakhar Zaman. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) Fakhar Zaman and Shikhar Dhawan have had very similar times in the last couple of years. Like Dhawan, Zaman had a very good 2018. He scored 576 runs and had a strike-rate of nearly 150. However, 2019 has been the complete opposite and in fact, it’s been far worse than what Dhawan has had. In 2019, Zaman has played eight games and only in two games, has he moved into the double figures. The left-handed opener has scored a mere 50 runs in eight innings. He has a strike-rate of 104.17 and a shoddy average of 6.25. Thus, there’s no one better to make this flop XI than Zaman in 2019. He has the second-worst average in 2019 for any player who has batted in the top seven and has played at least five innings. Only Bangladesh’s Afif Hossain has a worse average (6.20). 3. Colin Munro Colin Munro of New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images) There are very few players who can hit the ball as hard as Colin Munro can. The New Zealand batsman is full of power and is a fierce striker of the ball. He invariably gives New Zealand fast starts at the top of the order. However, 2019 hasn’t been the year for him. After averaging more than 33 and striking in excess of 150 in each of the last three years, 2019 was an under-par year for Munro. In 12 games, he scored 269 runs and averaged just 22.42. He had just one fifty to his name which came against India at the start of the year. The 32-year-old went through a phase where he struggled big time for runs. In fact, after the 72 he scored against India, he could muster just 59 runs in the next six innings. He did show signs of returning to form as he made 30 and 46 against England to end the year. 4. Kusal Mendis Kusal Mendis. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images) Kusal Mendis has been one of the batting mainstays for Sri Lanka over the last few years. He’s done well across formats and is a vital cog in the team. However, he has struggled across formats in 2019. Be it Tests, ODIs or T20Is, Mendis has had a disappointing year. However, he’s fared the worst in the shortest format. He averages just 17.50 while accumulating 140 runs from eight innings this year in T20Is. Out of those 140 runs, 79 came in one innings against New Zealand and apart from that there’s been no other significant contribution from the 24-year-old Sri Lankan. 5. Gary Wilson (wk) Gary Wilson. (Photo By Oliver McVeigh/Sportsfile via Getty Images) Most wicket-keepers had a decent 2019. The likes of Rishabh Pant, Tim Siefert and Nicholas Pooran were inconsistent but showed what they’re capable of. They are the ones to watch out for in the coming years. However, there was one wicket-keeper batsman who had a horrid year and that is Gary Wilson. Ireland played quite a bit of T20 cricket this year and Wilson was the wicket-keeper for most of the games. He played 16 games and batted on 10 occasions. However, he could muster just 143 runs and had a strike-rate of 95.97. The 33-year-old just couldn’t get going and was guilty of sucking momentum out of the innings on most occasions. Thus, Wilson is the wicket-keeper in this flop XI of 2019. 6. Krunal Pandya Krunal Pandya. (Photo: IANS) It’s only been a year since Krunal Pandya made his international debut but it’s been a topsy-turvy time for him. He’s largely been a boom or bust player. There are bursts where he goes without picking wickets but suddenly, he’ll emerge in one game and turn the game with the ball. However, the second half of 2019 wasn’t a great one for him. After picking up three wickets in two games against West Indies in Florida, Pandya hasn’t picked up a single wicket in the next five games. Moreover, he’s gone for runs as well. He hasn’t got a lot of opportunities to bat either. Hence, he’s been axed from the team as well. Overall, in 2019, the spin all-rounder from Baroda could pick just eight wickets from 12 games. The left-hander has an economy of 8.10 as well. With the bat, he scored 52 runs at an average of 17.33 and a strike-rate of 108.33. 7. Jason Holder (c) Jason Holder (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images) Jason Holder made his return to T20I cricket after almost two years. However, he had a very similar year to what Krunal Pandya had. He was largely ineffective with the ball and wasn’t great with the bat in whatever chances he got. Like Pandya, Holder started off the year pretty well and was decent until the Afghanistan series. He had picked up five wickets and had an economy of 6.61. But the India series turned it around which puts him in this XI. He went for aplenty against India. Overall, finished the year with a mere six wickets and an economy of 8.40 from nine games. With the bat, he scored just 62 runs from six innings and had a mediocre time. Thus, he will lead this flop XI of the year 2019. 8. Shadab Khan Shadab Khan. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) Shadab Khan is considered as one of the match-winners in the Pakistan white-ball setup. He has the ability to pick wickets in the middle overs and tonk a few at the death and is a live wire in the field. He was perfect for T20 cricket. However, this year was easily his worst in international T20 cricket. The leg-spinning all-rounder played nine games but picked up just four wickets. He hasn’t had control either as he’s gone at 8.73 runs an over. With the bat, he played six innings and was unbeaten in three of those. On the whole, he made just 36 runs at an average of 12.00. 9. Scott Kuggeleijn Scott Kuggeleijn. (Photo Source: Twitter) Scott Kuggeleijn first burst on to the international scene more than two years ago. He played a couple of ODIs against Ireland and was discarded despite doing well. However, he returned this year and made his T20I debut and has been consistently featuring in the New Zealand playing XI. However, he has delivered and has flattered to deceive. In nine games, Kuggeleijn has taken only five wickets and has an economy of 9.68. Only once in these nine games has he conceded runs at an economy of less than 7. Thus, he hasn’t had control of any sort nor has he picked up wickets. He may have had a decent impact with the bat lower down the order. However, that is not his primary suit and he needed to pick more wickets and be a lot more consistent with the ball. 10. Ish Sodhi Ish Sodhi (Photo credit should read ANESH DEBIKY/AFP/Getty Images) Here is another Kiwi in this flop XI and Ish Sodhi’s name might come as a surprise. But the leg-spinner hasn’t had the best of times in the shortest format in 2019. There’s no doubt he is a wicket-taking bowler but he’s also gone for aplenty this year. Sodhi has played 11 T20I games in 2019 and has managed to pick up just 10 wickets. Moreover, he has an economy of 10.04. He was taken apart by most of the oppositions he faced. Moreover, seven out of his 10 wickets this year came in three games. Thus, Sodhi struggled big time this year. 11. Mustafizur Rahman Mustafizur Rahman. (Photo by Andy Kearns/Getty Images) After the first couple of years in international cricket, Mustafizur Rahman’s form dipped in 2017. But he seemed to have found his mojo back in 2018 as he picked up 21 wickets in 13 T20Is. He struck once every 13 balls last year. However, 2019 has been the complete opposite of what 2018 was for Mustafizur. He’s played seven games and has taken just four wickets. The left-arm fast bowler has looked short of confidence and hasn’t bowled anywhere near his best. At times, it’s seemed like he has simply gone through the motions and looked lost. He has an economy of 8.80 this year. Moreover, Mustafizur is the leader of the Bangladesh pace attack and it hasn’t boded well for them either. Hence, he completes this T20I flop XI of the year 2019.

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Flop T20I XI of the year

T20 is not an easy format to play and some players found that out the hard way.

10. Ish Sodhi

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