World T20 Flop XI - The Big names that disappointed
T20 is a gruelling format where an over or even a single ball can make you a hero or turn you into a villain. And when you take into consideration an entire tournament of unsatisfactory performances, there will be quite a few fingers being pointed at you for underperforming at the grandest stage of them all, the World T20.
The criteria for picking the World T20 Flop XI is their performances, their impact on the tournament and most importantly whether or not the players lived up to the expectations from them.
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma
It is almost criminal that the Indian openers playing on Indian pitches with the home crowd cheering for them failed to exhibit even one good opening partnership throughout the World Cup. India had the least runs scored in the first six overs of the innings among all teams during the group stages with Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma holding an average of10.75 and 17.60 runs per innings respectively, which is way below par than what was expected of them.
David Warner
The Aussie star was expected to launch Australia into the later stages of the World T20 but
Lahiru Thirimanne
Following a disappointing Asia Cup, the Sri Lankans were clear outsiders to qualify through to the semi-final of the World T20. But for that to turn into a reality they needed their number three batsman to step up. If at all, Lahiru Thirimanne did the exact opposite and managed a total of just 14 runs throughout the tournament at an average of 3.50 with his highest score being six runs.
Suresh Raina
Although Suresh Raina picked up three wickets, his primary role in the team was that of a batsman. With 41 runs in the tournament, it is clear that Suresh Raina failed miserably and had it not been for Kohli’s heroics, his failures in the middle order could have easily cost India the match on more than one occasion.
Mushfiqur Rahim
With two runs needed off the last three balls, you would bet your house on the fact that the batting team would win the match. But Cricket has its own set of twists and turns and Bangladesh learned it the hard way. A full-toss on the fourth ball of the over was hit up in the air when the most sensible thing Mushfiqur Rahim could have done was place it in the huge gaps in the outfield and won his team the match. Not only did he cost the team the match but his overall performance throughout the World Cup, including the qualifiers, was
Darren Sammy
Although his team won the World Cup, Darren Sammy as a player was a complete flop throughout the World Cup. Though Sammy did win every single toss in the tournament, by bowling 18 balls and batting for just 13 balls, Sammy’s contribution as a player to the team was
Nathan Coulter-Nile
The Aussie pacer was supposed to lead the bowling attack for his side but with just one wicket and an average of 132.00 he was a massive disappointment at the World Cup. Add to that, he was the most expensive Australian bowler, conceding at over 8.2 runs per over. Surely the Aussies expected much better from the T20 specialist.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Although Ashwin bowled well against Bangladesh, his performance in the semi-final and also in the opening match against New Zealand was well below par. Co-incidentally his two worst performances came when India needed him the most. When you have two overs left but the captain gives the ball to a part-timer like Virat Kohli, who had not bowled in T20s since October 2013, you know you have failed on the night.
Mohammad Amir
This is possibly a controversial pick as Mohammad Amir did not particularly bowl badly in the World T20. But the expectations from him were so high after his incredible performance in the Asia Cup, that an output of just 3 wickets at an economy of 7.86 just was not good enough by his own standards. Amir’s high-profile reputation goes against him in this selection but when you are as good as Amir, the world expects you to show up every single match.
Dale Steyn
Arguably one of the greatest fast bowlers the world has ever seen, Dale Steyn’s form has gone down faster than anyone expected. With one of the best squads in recent times, South Africa
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