ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Flop XI of the tournament

Australia defeated India in the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India witnessed several record-breaking performances in the tournament and also found a few future superstar players. New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra and Afghanistan’s Azmat Omarzai are a few names that have stunned everyone in the world with their exceptional performances. But there have been a few big names that have disappointed the fans with poor performances in the mega World Cup event.

England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have had a disappointing tournament, and their star players have failed to live up to expectations. England’s opener Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, skipper Jos Buttler, and several other big names may make a perfect flop player XI. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 was a big platform for the players to make an impact, but few have used that wisely, and a few succumbed under the pressure of huge expectations.

1. Jonny Bairstow (England) :

The English opener was key to the success of his team in their title defence campaign in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. Bairstow was England’s leading run-scorer in the World Cup 2019 with 552 runs in the tournament and was the second-leading run-scorer. Bairstow’s poor run cost England several games; he ended up scoring only 215 runs in nine innings at an average of just 23.88 with only two half-centuries.

2. Temba Bavuma (South Africa) :

South African skipper Temba Bavuma also had a poor run in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and scored just 145 runs in 8 innings. Bavuma also suffered a few big injury scares, and he had to miss two league games in the mid-tournament. Bavuma had a decent start in a few innings, but he couldn’t carry the momentum forward and got out playing rash shots multiple times. South Africa may have played in the semi-finals, but Bavuma’s performance was extremely poor.

3. Babar Azam (Pakistan) :

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam had to resign from his position as soon as he landed in Pakistan. Babar Azam had a few decent knocks in Pakistan’s campaign, but it was not enough to power Pakistan to a better finish in the competition. Pakistan was expected to be a great force before the tournament started, but Babar’s poor show with the bat couldn’t motivate them enough to finish above 5th place. Babar scored 320 runs in nine innings with an average of 40.

4. Joe Root (England) :

Joe Root’s comical dismissal while attempting a reverse flick shot against Netherlands not only became viral but also represents the entire English title defence campaign in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. England’s batting has been extremely poor, and they failed to put up huge totals on the board except in the last couple of games. Similarly, England’s leading run-scorer had a poor show and scored only 276 runs in nine innings in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 .

5. Jos Buttler (England) (WK) :

English skipper had a forgettable tournament in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Buttler scored at an average of just 15 in nine games and added only 138 runs to his tally. Apart from the 43 against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, Buttler touched the 20-run mark in only two innings. He was dismissed for a single-digit score four times in nine games, apart from 15, 10, 20, and 27. He also couldn’t inspire English side with his performances, and they managed to win only 3 in 9 games.

6. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) (C) :

Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan was surrounded by several controversies before the tournament. His feud with opener Tamim Iqbal came out in the open, and this made a lot of impact on Bangladesh’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign. Shakib Al Hasan’s performance also dipped, and apart from one or two innings, he looked struggling throughout the entire tournament. Shakib Al Hasan could only manage to score 186 runs in 7 innings and ended up picking up 9 wickets in the tournament.

7. Shadab Khan (Pakistan) :

Shadab Khan was considered Pakistan’s X-factor in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 after the kind of performance he put in during Asia Cup 2023 and also against Afghanistan in a limited-overs series. Pakistan all-rounder picked up only 2 wickets. Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka and Netherlands opener Vikramjeet Singh were the only two scalps he got. Shadab scored 121 runs in five innings of this tournament with a 43-run knock against South Africa.

8. Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) :

South African pace bowler Kagiso Rabada had a terrific beginning in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. He picked up seven wickets in the first three games, but then his performance went down. He could only take six wickets in the next six games and also struggled against Australia in the semi-final game at Eden Gardens. Despite being a helpful wicket, Rabada conceded runs in the powerplay. He took 13 wickets in the nine games he played in the tournament.

9. Maheesh Theekshana (Sri Lanka) :

Maheesh Theekshana had a terrific Asia Cup tournament and made Asian giants struggle against his off-spin bowling. He also missed having Wanindu Hasaranga accompany him in the middle overs. Theekshana looked clueless on Indian wickets and couldn’t replicate his IPL performance. Sri Lanka lacked an extra spin-bowling option in the middle overs. Theekshana picked up only six wickets in the eight games he played.

10. Haris Rauf (Pakistan) :

Pakistan’s pace attack was among the wickets, but they couldn’t control the flow of runs in every single game. Pakistan was challenged in every game they played and conceded several big scores in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Haris Rauf’s economy of 6.74 suggests how poor Pakistan’s pace bowling line-up was. Being an impact player, Rauf’s performance did not make an impact on Pakistan’s campaign. Rauf picked up only 16 wickets in nine league games.

11. Mark Wood (England) :

England’s pacer Mark Wood was brought in to strengthen the bowling attack and utilise his ability as a pace bowler. Wood’s short ball created tremors in batters’ minds, but not in the 2023 World Cup. Wood could not replicate his IPL 2023 performance, taking only 6 wickets in 7 games in the tournament. Wood’s economy was also on the higher side, and he conceded 6.46 runs per over. England won only three games in their World Cup campaign.

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