Flop XI of all three formats combined in 2020

The year 2020 was a tumultuous and challenging one for the world. The Coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc and various countries across the world have been left reeling. The cricketing world too, was no exception. The pandemic made the cricketing calendar go awry last year. The 2020 edition of the IPL which would have been held in the summer months of March, April and May in India in front of packed stadiums with fans cheering on for their favourite outfits was postponed and held only in the months of September, October and November this year. Also, the venue was shifted from India to the UAE and the entire tournament was played there in front of empty stands. Even the T20 World Cup, which was supposed to be held in Australia between October and November was postponed. In fact, between April and June, not a single international cricket match was played across the world due to the pandemic. And, in the amount of cricketing action that we managed to have, there were some players who experienced tough times. Their fortunes in the year 2020, just like the pandemic, were gloomy. In this article, let us take a look at the Flop XI of all the three formats combined in 2020: 1. Tom Banton Tom Banton. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Its been only a little more than 13 months since Tom Banton made his international debut for England. And, the year 2020 didn’t give much to savour for the right hander. Banton played 5 innings in the ODI format last year and scored only 134 runs at a disappointing average of 26.80. Also, the right hander was guilty of getting starts, but not converting them into big scores of repute. Out of his 5 ODI innings, Banton was dismissed for a score of less than 40 on 4 occasions. Even in T20I cricket, the 22-year-old failed to set the stage alight. Banton scored 149 runs from 6 T20I innings in 2020. Also, out of the 6 innings, Banton was dismissed for a score of less than 10 on three occasions. He was highly inconsistent in 2020, and failed to convert his talent into considerable performances. Banton is only 22, and still has time on his side. The youngster would be looking to start 2021 afresh with some solid performances with the bat. 2. Tom Blundell Tom Blundell. (Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) The other Tom, who will open the batting alongside Banton in this side is Blundell. In the 9 innings that he played in the year 2020 in Test cricket, Blundell could manage to score just 186 runs. He averaged a paltry 23.25, and could score just one fifty. His scores in his last 3 innings in the whites read 14, 14, 5. Even in the ODI format of the game, the New Zealand batsman failed to impress. In the two ODI innings that he played last year, Blundell could score just 31 runs. He looked out of sorts, and could not amass huge scores in international cricket this year. Blundell is already 30, and will hope that the New Year will bring a reversal in his fortunes. 3. D’Arcy Short D’Arcy Short of Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) Taking the No.3 spot in this Flop XI is Australian batsman D’Arcy Short. The left hander looked totally out of sorts in the T20Is that he played in 2020. In the 3 innings that Short played in 2020 in the shortest format of the game, he could muster only 50 runs at a miserable average of just 16.67. His strike rate too, was very mediocre, at 100.00. Short’s ODI numbers seem much better as compared to his poor T20I record. The 30-year-old played 4 ODI innings in 2020 and scored 128 runs at a decent average of 32.00. But even there, his average is bolstered hugely by a single score of 69 against South Africa. His scores in his other 3 innings in ODI cricket this year read 18, 36 and 5. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Short experienced some troubled times this year. 4. Alex Carey (C & WK) Alex Carey. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images for ECB) The No.4 slot in this team is taken by Australian keeper Alex Carey. The left handed wicket keeper batsman was in abysmal form in T20I cricket this year. In the 5 innings that Carey wielded the willow last year in the shortest format of the game, he could score just 51 runs at an average of 10.20. Moreover, in the 5 T20I innings that he played, he could not even cross the 30-run mark even once. Even in the ODI format of the game, Carey was found wanting. The 29-year-old played 11 innings in ODI cricket and scored 287 runs at an average of 28.70. Apart from the sizzling 106 that he scored against England at Old Trafford in September 2020, Carey could not make any substantial contribution in any of the other innings that he played. In fact, out of his 11 innings, Carey did not cross even the 40-run mark in any of the other 10 innings that he played last year. 5. Moeen Ali Moeen Ali. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) To put it bluntly, Moeen Ali had a disastrous 2020. In the 4 innings that he played in the ODI format this year, Moeen averaged just 8.00. His last three scores in ODI cricket this year read 0,1 and 6. Even with the ball, his campaign in 2020 was nothing short of terrible. The spinning all rounder picked up just a solitary wicket in the whole of 2020 in ODI cricket. His average was 216.00, and his strike rate even worse, at 270.00. In the T20I format as well, Moeen struggled throughout the year. The left hander could aggregate just 157 runs through the whole of 2020 in the shortest format of the game. Out of the 9 innings that he played in T20I cricket, he could not cross double digits on 5 occasions. 6. Roston Chase Roston Chase. (Photo Source: Twitter) Occupying the No.6 slot in this line up is West Indian cricketer Roston Chase. The all-rounder struggled in both the whites as well as coloured clothing last year. In the 10 innings that the right hander played in 2020 in Tests, Chase averaged only 17.40. His last 7 innings in Test cricket read 6, 9, 7, 11, 6, 0, 0. Even with the ball, Chase could not make a big difference. Apart from a single five-wicket haul that he picked up at Old Trafford against England, Chase was off colour with the ball in Tests. Even in the ODI format, he failed to get going. In the 5 innings that the 28-year-old played in the previous year in the ODI format, he could gather only 83 runs at an average of 20.50, and a strike rate of under 80(78.85). Even with the ball in hand, Chase could pick up only 4 wickets and averaged a high 52.00 in 2020. The all-rounder would love to forget the year 2020. 7. Mitchell Marsh Mitchell Marsh. (Photo Source: Twitter) The all-rounder’s slot in this flop XI is occupied by Mitchell Marsh. The Australian played 7 ODIs in the erstwhile year and scored 187 runs at an average of 26.71. Apart from a 73 that Marsh scored against England at Old Trafford, he did not cross even the 40-run mark in any of the innings he played in the ODI format in 2020. With the ball too, Marsh was a huge disappointment in the ODI format. The Aussie could pick up only 5 wickets in the whole of 2020, at a high average of 47.80. In T20I cricket too, Marsh failed to impress with the willow. The right hander could score only 83 runs from 4 innings at an average of 27.67 and a mediocre strike rate of 112.16. With 2021 just around the corner, Marsh will be hoping that his fortunes improve this year. 8. Jasprit Bumrah Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images) His name too, might be a surprising inclusion in the flop XI. Known for his ability to bowl yorkers at will and deceive batsmen with clever changes in pace, Jasprit Bumrah is an asset for whichever side he plays. However, 2020 was not very welcoming and kind to the speedster. Bumrah’s bowling record in 2020, particularly in ODI cricket, was extremely poor. In the 9 ODI matches that the Indian speedster played last year, he picked up a mere 5 wickets. He averages a terrible 96.40 with the ball and his strike rate was equally worse as well, at 102.80. The Indian side would be hoping that 2020 was just an aberration, and Bumrah gets back to his wicket taking ways as the new year beckons. 9. Hamish Bennett Hamish Bennett. (Photo Source: Twitter) An economy rate of 10.58 in any format of the game in a year is not something a fast bowler would like to look back with fondness. Hamish Bennett’s numbers in T20I cricket with the white ball were pretty ordinary last year. The 33-year-old pacer could pick up just 6 wickets in 7 T20I games in 2020, and his average too, was almost touching 40.00 (38.50). In the ODI format as well, Bennett was not very impressive. His economy rate in ODIs played in 2020 was close to 7 (6.86) runs per over, and his average too was 33.17. Bennett is 33, and does not have a lot of time left. And, a few more bad performances could mean that his international career might well be over. 10. Yuzvendra Chahal Rohit Sharma and Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images) Yuzvendra Chahal is another bowler who would not like to look back at 2020 with a smile. Chahal’s numbers in T20I cricket last year, surely do not make for pleasant reading. The leg-spinner played 9 T20I matches but could pick up just 7 wickets. His economy rate was 9.06 runs per over, and his average too, was on the higher side, at 45.29. Even in ODI cricket too, Chahal’s performances were ordinary. He averaged 37.86 with the ball in 2020, and his economy rate too, was close to 7 (6.79). The Indian side will be hoping that Chahal will put the disappointing year behind him and spin his web around the opposition batsmen in 2021. 11. Tom Curran Tom Curran. (Photo Source: Twitter) The final name that would make up our Flop XI of 2020 is Tom Curran. The England pacer’s ODI numbers for 2020 make for disastrous reading. In the 7 matches that Curran played last year, he averaged 261.00 with the ball. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, Curran’s strike rate was even worse, at 306.00. In the entire year, he picked up just one wicket in the ODI format. In the T20 format too, Curran’s numbers do not make for good reading. In the 12 matches that the right-arm pacer played this year in the shortest format of the game for his country, his economy rate was 9.85 runs per over and his average too, was almost 40 (39.40). Simply put, the 25-year-old pacer would like to forget what has transpired for him in 2020 and start 2021 afresh. Note: All the stats have been taken from Howstat cricket and Cricbuzz and have been updated as on 27th December 2020

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Flop XI of all three formats combined in 2020

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