Flop XI of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2019-2021

The inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship is done and dusted, and New Zealand have been crowned champions. Kane Williamson’s men defeated India by eight wickets in the final to lift the illustrious trophy. The summit clash witnessed a fascinating battle as both teams were leaving no stones unturned to emerge victorious.

After all, a world title was at stake. Although India put up an impressive fight, New Zealand emerged as the better side in the end. However, one has to admit that the WTC gave new relevance to the longest format of the game. Test cricket had witnessed a downfall in viewership ever since T20s came into the picture. Even many experts and critics were concerned about the future of cricket’s purest format.

Owing to this, the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced the World Test Championship and Test cricket was never the same. Needless to mention, the decision proved to be spot on as red-ball cricket became the talk of the town.

With teams getting a bigger reason to win Test matches, the inaugural WTC cycle witnessed some magnificent battles. Many players shone during this duration and earned praises from worldwide. At the same time, there were also some players, who couldn’t perform as per expectations.

Let us have a look at the flop XI from the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) cycle:

1. Kraigg Brathwaite

West Indies haven’t experienced many memorable moments in whites in the last decade or so. Although they have registered some notable victories, consistency has been an issue for them. However, one Caribbean batsman who was delivering regularly in the longest format was Kraigg Brathwaite. The veteran opener has a solid technique and his knack of playing marathon knocks has troubled many bowling line-ups.

Due to the same, many believed that Brathwaite would be West Indies’ stand-out performer in the World Test Championship. Contrary to the expectations, the right-handed batsman suffered one failure after another as West Indies never really looked in the reckoning to make a place in the top two.

In total, Brathwaite scored 673 runs in 13 Test matches at a dismal average of 25.88. Although he scored one hundred and four centuries during this period, his knack of failing more than succeeding cost West Indies big-time. Notably, the opener has now become the Caribbean side’s Test captain and would like to put up a better show in the next WTC cycle.

2. Joe Denly

Brathwaite will be partnered by England’s Joe Denly in this unfortunate XI. Denly, on the back of some impressive performances in the domestic circuit, made his Test debut in January 2019. With the batsman having a significant amount of experience behind his back, he was expected to deliver in the national colours. However, nothing as such could happen.

The Three Lions were patient with Denly and gave him chances despite regular failures. Even the team management shuffled the batting order to bring the best out of the batsman. However, Denly couldn’t justify his side’s decision and registered one low score after another. He did manage to play a couple of good knocks but his frequent misfiring couldn’t help England much.

Coming to his numbers, the 35-year-old scored 569 runs in 10 games at an average of below 30. Now, that’s not impressive for a top-order batsman. Subsequently, Denly was dropped from the Test side, and his comeback in whites is highly unlikely.

3. Cheteshwar Pujara

Hailed as the modern-day wall, Cheteshwar Pujara has made a name for himself in the longest format of the game. Contrary to the approach of many modern-day batsmen, Pujara likes to play the waiting game and his patience has tormented many bowlers. However, his performance in the World Test Championship wasn’t really up the mark.

Pujara played some impressive knocks during this period and his contribution also benefited India. However, the veteran batsman doesn’t have a lot of runs to show. In 18 games, Pujara scored 841 runs at an average of 28.03. Known for playing marathon knocks, the Saurashtra-born cricketer didn’t score a single hundred in the cycle, which is another reason why he features in this list.

Pujara’s outing in the WTC final wasn’t fruitful either. The Southampton track was favouring the pacers and the 33-year-old never really got going. As a result, he registered scores of eight and 15 as India came second in the contest.

4. Faf du Plessis

Former South African captain Faf du Plessis is now a retired Test cricketer but his dismal show in the WTC earns him a place on this list. With big guns like AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla retiring in near about the same time, the responsibility of scoring the bulk of runs fell upon Du Plessis’ shoulder. However, it seemed like the pressure got the better of the star batsman.

He recorded one failure after another as South Africa never looked in the contention to make a place in the final two. Overburdened by the duties, Du Plessis stepped down from captaincy after his side’s home series loss against England in January 2020. Just over a year later, the dasher also brought the curtains down on his Test career.

Overall, the former Proteas skipper scored 555 runs in 11 games at a rather disappointing average of 27.75. Notably, his numbers are somewhat respectable due to his couple of fruitful outings against Sri Lanka earlier this year. Otherwise, Du Plessis doesn’t have much to show.

5. Shai Hope

An average of 52.94 after 82 ODIs speaks volumes of Hope’s caliber. The right-handed batsman has a solid technique and his temperament is proven as well. These attributes are indeed enough for an individual to shine in Test cricket. However, Hope’s case was a bit different. The right-handed batsman struggled against the swinging red cherry and suffered regular failures.

Notably, this is the same Shai Hope, who scored twin centuries in West Indies’ famous Test win against England at the Leeds in 2017. Unfortunately, the young batsman didn’t look anywhere near his prime in the World Test Championship. In 12 innings across six Test matches, Hope scored 203 runs at an average of 16.91.

During this time, his highest score was 43, and subsequently, he was dropped from the side. Nevertheless, Hope, 27, still has a lot of time and he would like to better his Test record in the coming fixtures.

6. Tim Paine (C & WK)

‘The accidental captain’ is the term which many use to describe Australia’s Test skipper Tim Paine. This is because the wicketkeeper-batsman doesn’t boast a staggering individual record like most of his predecessors. Owing to the same, Paine often receives criticism from fans, experts, and even fellow players.  The Aussie player had a chance to silence his critics with some brilliant performances in the WTC.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t do so. He managed to play some crucial knocks which helped Australia at times. However, scoring consistently was a problem for him. Paine often got out in the crucial stages which gave momentum to the opposition teams. Overall, the 36-year-old scored 550 runs in 14 outings at an average of 28.94.

His glovework and on-field decisions were also not up the mark.  Worsening the case, Australia suffered a historic home Test series loss against India earlier this year. Owing to this, Paine is also the skipper of this not-so-pleasant line-up.

7. Roston Chase

Chase showed a lot of promise during his early days and impressed many with his all-round performances. The right-handed batsman has a solid defense which allows him to stay at the crease for long. On top of that, Chase is also a more than handy off-spinner, who has troubled many prominent batters. His overall Test record is still pretty impressive.

However, his performances in the World Test Championship didn’t amuse many. Chase couldn’t do a significant job in the middle order, putting pressure on the other batsmen. In nine outings, the all-rounder could score mere 320 runs with an average of 18.62. He was able to smash just two half-centuries in the tournament.

His bowling wasn’t much impressive either. In 12 innings, Chase scalped just 18 wickets. While he bowled some substantial spells during this time, his inability of spinning the old ball didn’t help West Indies much. Hence, Chase must enhance his game going further.

8. Mehidy Hasan Miraz

In Mehidy Hasan Miraz, we get the first Bangladesh player on this list. Mehidy is a utility cricketer and has done reasonably well in national colours. However, was he sensational in the ICC World Test Championship? Unfortunately, the answer is no. The off-spinner couldn’t take wickets in the middle overs which allowed opposition teams to build massive partnerships.

Notably, Bangladesh played most of the games in spin-friendly conditions and hence, Mehidy was expected to get a lot of purchase from the tracks. However, he couldn’t showcase the magic he’s known for. In total, he took 15 wickets in eight innings at a strike rate of 94.

Meanwhile, the all-rounder had few fruitful outings with the bat which impressed one and all. He scored 317 runs in six games which also includes a brilliant century. However, Mehidy’s primary job is to take regular wickets which he wasn’t able to do.

9. Mohammad Abbas

Abbas belongs to that rare breed of Pakistan fast bowlers who don’t rely on pace to trouble the opposition batsmen. The right-arm pacer can swing the ball both ways and the bucket of variations in his arsenal makes him even more lethal. His prowess earned him success in various conditions and even took him to third place in the ICC Test bowling ranking.

Needless to say, Pakistan had massive expectations from Abbas in the ICC World Test Championship. However, just like the previous players on this list, the veteran fast bowler misfired. Abbas seemed to have lost his sheen as batsmen were able to pick him even in the pace-friendly conditions of Australia, England, and New Zealand.

On occasions, he was also taken to cleaners while trying to take wickets. Overall, Abbas played nine games in the championship and scalped just 18 wickets. During this duration, his best figures were 4/55.

10. Alzarri Joseph

Alzarri Joseph has shown a lot of promise in his early days and many see him as a future leader of the West Indies pace attack. The right-arm pacer can set the speed gun on fire and swinging the ball isn’t beyond his reach either. On top of that, Alzarri is a handy batsman lower down the order, who can play big shots at will.

Hence, the team management would have been counting on Joseph in the WTC cycle. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get the desired result. The young fast bowler did showcase his ability to move the ball at a brisk pace but his knack of getting wayward at times earned him a lot of criticism. Joseph also gave away runs due to the same.

In total, the Caribbean sensation played seven games in the WTC and scalped mere 13 wickets. Now, that’s not enough for a premier fast bowler. Notably, Joseph also scored a couple of half-centuries in the tournament and would like to enhance his game in the coming times.

11. Lahiru Kumara

The last few years haven’t been memorable for the Sri Lankan cricket team by any means as they suffered one humiliating loss after another across formats. There weren’t many expectations from them in the World Test Championship either. The inevitable happened as the Lankans could win just two of their 12 games in the cycle.

While several players couldn’t click from the Sri Lankan camp, not many disappointed more than Lahiru Kumara. The strongly-built right-arm pacer can clock good speeds and has the ability to swing the ball as well. The youngster also had some impressive outings in the national colours. However, there’s not much to say about his performance in the WTC.

Kumara couldn’t create magic with the red cherry and subsequently, scalped just 12 wickets in eight innings. Not to forget, he conceded runs at an economy rate of nearly four which shows his tendency to bowl bad deliveries. Nevertheless, Kumara, 24, should learn from this experience to become a better bowler.