World Cup 2023 | 1 Indian in the Flop XI of World Cup 2023
Temba Bavuma had a miserable World Cup 2023 campaign (Source: AP Photos)
We have reached an excellent and highly competitive World Cup 2023. Australia has once again proved its mettle and won the world title for a record sixth time.
While many players performed brilliantly and carried their team ahead in the tournament, some stars failed to meet the expectations. Here is a look at the flop XI of the team from the tournament.
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Openers
Temba Bavuma (c) (South Africa)
Matches: 8 Runs: 145 Avg: 18.13
The South African skipper had a torrid time in the World Cup 2023. He could have given better starts to the team while opening the team. Bavuma also failed South Africa as a captain, making several wrong decisions and imposing himself on the team with injury; everything went wrong for the man. Thus, he gets to be a part of this unwanted XI as a leader and the first opener.
Jonny Bairstow (England)
Matches: 9 Runs: 215 Avg: 23.89
Before the start of the World Cup, there was a massive expectation from Jonny Bairstow. The consensus was that he would play a pivotal role in England's title defence run. But much like the English team, Bairstow was a total flop show with a below-average tournament. The all-out approach of Bairstow and the team did not go down well for the team in the World Cup 2023.
Middle-order
Joe Root (England)
Matches: 9 Runs: 276 Avg: 30.67
Joe Root got a few starts in the tournament. But he failed to play the big knock and bail the team out of the pressure situations. Root is considered one of the best in modern cricket, but his performance in the tournament did not justify his reputation.
Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
Matches: 7 Runs 186 Wickets: 9
The Bangladesh skipper walked into the World Cup 2023 as the number-one ranked all-rounder in ODIs. But he could have delivered better as a skipper, batter, and bowler. Shakib failed to inspire his team and had little clue about his own team. This led to a disappointing performance from Bangladesh in the tournament.
Jos Buttler (England) (wk)
Matches: 9 Runs: 138 Avg: 15.33
The English media has hyped up Jos Buttler as the best white-ball cricketer of contemporary cricket before the World Cup. But Buttler failed to deliver any performance of substance during the tournament. Far from being the best, he looked like a below-average player at the helm of an overly hyped English unit.
Suryakumar Yadav (India)
Matches: 7 Runs: 106 Avg: 17.67
Due to Hardik Pandya's injury, Suryakumar Yadav was included in the playing xi by team India. He was kept in the team, hoping Surya would provide them with fiery finishes. Buy, he looked lacklustre throughout the tournament, barring a single match. Also, his failure to deliver in the summit clash sealed his spot in this team.
All-rounders
Shadab Khan (Pakistan)
Matches: 6 Runs: 121 Wickets: 2
Shadab Khan had a significant responsibility while coming into the World Cup. He was expected to play the role of a lower-order finisher and also the lead-spinner for the team. But Shadab neither scored the runs nor could he pick up wickets with the ball. His all-round failure earned him a spot on this team.
Mohammad Nawaz (Pakistan)
Matches: 5 Runs: 39 Wickets: 2
One of the primary reasons for Pakistan's failure as a team in the tournament was their inability to pick up wickets in the middle overs. Along with Shadab, Nawaz also failed to play the role of spinner. It was also expected that Nawaz would score some valuable runs lower down the order, but he also could not do that.
Bowlers
Maheesh Theekshana (Sri Lanka)
Matches: 8 Wickets: 6 Bowling Avg: 63.67
In the absence of Wanindu Hasaranga, the major responsibility of the Sri Lankan bowling was on Mahesh Theekshana. He was in good wicket-taking form leading into the tournament. But during the World Cup 2023, Theekshana could not pick up wickets or control the run flow during the middle overs. His failure to lead the pack gets him a place in this team.
Haris Rauf (Pakistan)
Matches: 9 Wickets: 6 Economy: 6.75
Pakistan suffered a major loss before the tournament as Naseem Shah was ruled out due to injury. The Pakistani supporters had high hopes for Haris Rauf. They expected that while Shaheen would provide them with breakthroughs at the beginning of the innings, Haris would be the enforcer in the middle and death overs. Although Rauf picked up 16 wickets, he failed to leave the impact that was expected of him.
Taskin Ahmed (Bangladesh)
Matches: 7 Wickets: 5 Bowling Average: 61.00
Taskin Ahmed bowled some match-winning spells in the Asia Cup ahead of World Cup 2023. But he was nowhere close to his best during the grand tournament. Thus, Ahmed finds himself a part of this team.
Flop XI of World Cup 2023
- Temba Bavuma (c) (SA)
- Jonny Bairstow (ENG)
- Joe Root (ENG)
- Shakib Al Hasan (BAN)
- Jos Buttler (wk) (ENG)
- Suryakumar Yadav (IND)
- Shadab Khan (PAK)
- Mohammed Nawaz (PAK)
- Maheesh Theekshana (SL)
- Haris Rauf (PAK)
- Taskin Ahmed (BAN)
 "Probuddha Bhattacharjee")
