ICC World Cup 2019: Under-performing XI of the tournament
These cricketers have failed to reach their own standards.
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South Africa usually relies quite heavily on Quinton de Kock. He is the one who provides the team with some fabulous starts more often than not. De Kock is highly consistent and doesn’t go through a bad patch for a long time. However, the situation for him in the World Cup 2019 was quite different. The left-hander had a few good performances but found runs hard to come by. He clearly didn’t live up to the expectations with the bat and that is a way had an impact on his team’s performance.
His stats in the tournament
Matches: 9
Runs: 305
Average: 38.12
S/R: 86.89
2. Imam-ul-Haq | Pakistan
Imam-ul-Haq had a crucial role to play when Pakistan won the Champions Trophy in 2017. Along with Fakhar Zaman, he was expected to dominate yet again. However, Imam struggled slightly with his consistency. He scored a half-century and a century in the tournament. On the rest of the occasions, he often got off to good starts. He even took enough time to settle in but couldn’t make it big. By his standards, he wasn’t entirely at his best in the tournament.
His stats in the tournament
Matches: 8
Runs: 305
Average: 38.12
S/R: 76.25
3. Virat Kohli (c) | India
When you compare Virat Kohli with any other batsman, he was great. The Indian skipper scored five consecutive half-centuries and seemed to be in great touch. But when you make a comparison of Virat Kohli with himself, his performance in the tournament wasn’t his best. In the last few years, there has hardly been a tournament where he went through without scoring a century. Virat had the opportunity of getting there five times. But, he couldn’t convert any of those into big knocks. Moreover, there were some questionable decisions made by him on the field.
His stats in the tournament
Matches: 9
Runs: 443
Average: 55.37
S/R: 94.05
4. Steve Smith | Australia
It wasn’t quite the return Steve Smith would have really hoped for. The former Australia skipper was recovering from an elbow injury but was hitting the ball well. It was expected that he would play quite a few decisive knocks in the tournament. But Smith wasn’t as consistent. This can largely be attributed to the batting position where he was sent in. Smith had to come out at four in most of the games and that didn’t really suit him. He did a fair job in the limited opportunities that he got at number three.
His stats in the tournament
Matches: 10
Runs: 379
Average: 37.90
S/R: 85.94
5. MS Dhoni (wk) | India
MS Dhoni has received immense criticism in the tournament for his tad slow knocks. The former Indian skipper, yet again, struggled with the strike rotation aspect of his game. Thus, he ended up consuming a lot of dots. There were one or two odd games where he showed good intent and scored his runs quickly. While his numbers in the tournament are decent enough, it wasn’t the most convincing tournament for Dhoni. Even in the semi-final, he couldn’t score quickly nor could he finish the game off for the team. There were some blips behind the stumps as well and thus he featured here in this Under-performing XI.
His stats in the tournament
Matches: 9
Runs: 273
Average: 45.50
S/R: 87.78
6. Shimron Hetmyer | Windies
Shimron Hetmyer is an amazing talent. He was handed over the responsibility of the Windies middle order. The 22-year-old was sent in to bat at the crucial number four or five positions. We all know he’s got the penchant for the big shots and is capable of clearing any fence. But while playing in tricking and testing conditions, it is important to apply oneself well. Hetmyer, despite scoring some important runs for his team, has failed in this aspect. He is still quite young and has got to work on his temperament quickly.
His stats in the tournament
Matches: 9
Runs: 257
Average: 36.71
S/R: 101.58
7. Mohammad Nabi | Afghanistan
Being the senior member in the Afghanistan team, a lot was expected from Mohammad Nabi. There were several situations in which his team was put under pressure. Since he is the most experienced player, the all-rounder was expected to soak in the pressure and play some valuable knocks. However, he threw his wicket away on almost all the occasions and seemed reckless. His only notable performance with the willow came against India but he couldn’t take his team over the line. Nabi didn’t have the best of tournaments with the ball either.
His stats in the tournament
Matches: 9
Runs: 107
Average: 11.88
S/R: 64.07
Wickets: 10
8. Sheldon Cottrell | Windies
Sheldon Cottrell has shown a lot of promise with his performance in the tournament. His iconic salute celebration and the catch that he took to dismiss Steve Smith were just exceptional. However, Cottrell didn’t seem to have played to his full potential. The left-arm pacer didn’t get as many wickets as he’d have liked and has succumbed to pressure. His performance against some of the other big teams wasn’t really impressive on the big stage. Yet, this tournament is a great learning curve for him and he can build upon the confidence gained from here.
His stats in the tournament
Matches: 9
Wickets: 12
Average: 32.66
Economy: 5.85
9. Yuzvendra Chahal | India
Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, along with his spin-twin Kuldeep Yadav, has created quite a stir in international cricket. Both the tweakers have performed exceptionally well in the bilateral series they played in the last 18 or odd months. With their performances, they even made other teams believe that having a wrist spinner is a norm in modern-day cricket. However, when it came to the biggest of platforms, Chahal couldn’t live up to the billing while Kuldeep had a terrible time. The leg-spinner didn’t pick up as many wickets as his team would’ve wanted him to do and was quite expensive as well.
His stats in the tournament
Matches: 8
Wickets: 12
Average: 36.83
Economy: 5.97
10. Wahab Riaz | Pakistan
After looking at the way things have panned out in the bilateral series against England just before the World Cup, Pakistan reverted back to some experience. Out of nowhere, they decided to pick up Wahab Riaz in the squad. The left-arm pacer had a tough challenge and even had a point to prove. While he did well, Wahab was not as consistent on all the occasions. There were instances where he struggled and even didn’t pick up as many wickets as expected.
His stats in the tournament
Matches: 8
Wickets: 11
Average: 36.36
Economy: 6.00
11. Imran Tahir | South Africa
Imran Tahir was in great form during the IPL 2019 playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He was the strike bowler for the team and picked up some really important wickets. Thus, the expectations on him rose up quite high for the World Cup. But on the England tracks, the leg-spinner didn’t seem to enjoy his bowling as much. There wasn’t a great deal of assistance for him and hence he couldn’t make a massive impact. Therefore, Imran Tahir finds a place in this Under-performing XI while his teammate Kagiso Rabada could be the twelfth man in the team.
His stats in the tournament
Matches: 9
Wickets: 11
Average: 34.00
Economy: 4.92
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