The T20 World Cup having come to an end, it is time to look back at the performances of some of the star players. T20 cricket is all about batsmen and there were some of them who were expected to light up the tournament with their shots. But it was not to be.
Contrary to expectations, some star batsmen failed to shine in this year's tournament letting down their countries and fans big time. This is not a list of good batsmen who performed poorly in this tournament. Here we are looking at some of the best batsmen of whom much was expected but they left us disappointed.
AB de Villiers
Perhaps the most versatile batsman in world cricket today, AB de Villiers is well suited to T20 cricket for his destructive batting ability. But the common charge levelled against him is that he has been more successful in the IPL while failing to replicate that success while playing for his country.
Much was expected of him as many believed he could carry the burden of the nation on his shoulders in the T20 World Cup. But he managed to accumulate only 110 from the 4 matches he played in.
His only worthy contribution was a knock of 64 against Afghanistan at the Wankhede Stadium. He failed to get big runs in the other three games when it mattered the most. South Africa failed to make it beyond the group stages and his world cup jinx continues for now.
Eoin Morgan
One of the most unconventional batsmen in modern day cricket, Eoin Morgan as the skipper represents the fearless brand of cricket played by the England team. England has truly turned over a new page in the cricket history having played some brilliant cricket in the tournament. Their march to glory was in fact ultimately halted by the West Indies in the final.
Though batsmen like Joe Root and Jos Buttler have been exemplary in the tournament, guiding their team to the final with exceptional knocks, the same cannot be said of the English captain. Morgan's free flowing shots were rarely on display in the tournament as he failed to get going in any of the matches.
He has an atrocious highest score of 27 in this year's tournament , finishing with 66 runs from 6 matches at an average of 13.20. His dismissal was one of the turning points in the final. Had he strung together a partnership with Root, England could have recorded a bigger total.
Rohit Sharma
There was a time last year when Rohit Sharma seemed to be scoring runs for fun in the shorter formats of the game. But that form seems to have curiously deserted him. The elegant Indian opener had an ordinary Asia Cup only to follow it with a disastrous T20 World Cup campaign this year.
Over the years, Sharma has turned into one of the most prolific openers in the world in the shorter formats of the game. Much was expected of him in this high-profile tournament and India were banking on him to give the team some good starts.
However, Sharma failed to impress in the tournament as he recorded scores of 5, 10, 18 and 12 from the first four matches. Whilst he got off to a good start against the West Indies in the semi-finals, he failed to kick on in a batting paradise falling for 43.
With all said and done, he managed to amass a meagre 88 runs from 5 matches at an average of 17.60 in the tournament. His bad form coupled with that of Dhawan meant India time and again failed to get off to good starts in the tournament.
David Warner
One of the star batsmen that the Aussies were heavily banking on was their vice-captain, David Warner. The prolific southpaw has the ability to play some devastating shots all around the field and take the game away very quickly from the opposition. But he failed to get going in this year's T20 World Cup.
Warner's lack of form was surprising given the fact that he has a fair bit of experience of playing in the Indian conditions in the IPL. Warner, however, seemed to be ill at ease against the spinners and failed to string together any meaningful knock of significance.
His scores of 6, 17, 9 and 6 illustrate that he has missed out big time in this tournament. He paltry total of 38 runs from 4 matches at an average of 9.50 leaves a lot to be desired. Australia could have done with some more healthy contributions from him in the tournament.
Suresh Raina
One of the most dangerous batsmen in T20 cricket, Suresh Raina has time and again proved his credentials for the CSK in the IPL. Fans who have been witnesses to his destructive batting in the IPL knew he would be one of the most dangerous players to watch out for in the T20 World Cup.
Raina has been undergoing a prolonged slump in form which saw him being axed from the ODI team during India's tour to Australia earlier this year. Raina unfortunately, seemed to have carried that disastrous form into this tournament as he failed to get going in any of the matches.
His only contribution of note in the tournament was a scratchy 30 against Bangladesh. His scores of 1, 0 and 10 in the other three innings he played showed how much out of form he was.
It was not only the lack of runs but also his shoddy feet movement that let him down. The old weakness against short deliveries made him look ungamely throughout the tournament.
He was so bereft of self-confidence that it did not even feel like he could score runs any time he walked out. His lacklustre form left a gaping role in the Indian middle order putting too much pressure on Kohli and Dhoni.
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