England and West Indies are set to lock horns against each other in the grand finale of this year’s T20 World Cup on April 3. The tournament was fun, had a lot of memorable moments and some heartbreaks.
We saw England chase down 229 against South Africa. We have witnessed India's nail-biting one-run win against Bangladesh. We have been fortunate to see Virat Kohli knocking Australia out. Unbelievable batting display.
Nobody expected England and West Indies would make to the final. All put their money on India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. As always, South Africa choked, ICC tournaments are not for them, they are made for bilateral tournaments.
India and New Zealand played well in group stages but were outplayed in the semis. Australia haven’t had a good series in group stages either.
This tournament was tailor-made for some world class players. They wanted to make a mark on this showpiece event. Unfortunately, they couldn't.
Here are the five players who couldn't do justice to their talent and expectations:
Dale Steyn
Steyn was picked ahead Morne Morkel for this World Cup. He has very good stats in T20Is. He bagged 58 wickets in 42 matches at an average of 17.39 and an excellent economy of 6.71.
He could have been South Africa’s go-to man with the bowl but he disappointed. In the game against England, he conceded 23 runs of the first over. Hales and Roy have hit him all over the park and Faf Du Plessis was forced to give Steyn only 2 overs in the game.
He didn’t feature in next two games but came back in the eleven against Srilanka. It was no different. He has given away 33 runs in 4 overs in a low-scoring game where Sri Lanka bowled out for just 120.
David Warner
David Warner is one of the best explosive batsmen in the world. His IPL experience also could have come handy.
With Watson coming back to form and Khawaja in his form of life and Steve Smith’s desire to bat at No.3 have forced David Warner to bat at No.4. Though he was proved to effective in the South African series where he scored a fifty at No.4, he couldn’t stamp his authority as a second down.
In the first two games, he scored 6 and 17. No. 4 experiment failed? Ok, Smith moved down to No.4 and Warner moved up to No. 3. No change whatsoever.
He scored 9 and 6 six in the next two games. 4 matches, 38 runs, average of 9.50. Can’t get worse than this.
Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina is India’s best T20 batsman over the years. His IPL performance is second to none. With loads of T20 experience, a lot were expected from him.
Raina always wanted to bat up the order but he couldn’t get enough chances at the top. This year Dhoni has decided to go with Raina at No.4. Unfortunately, he couldn’t shine.
4 innings, 41 runs , at an average of 10.25 with strike-rate of 124.24 is a hard pill to swallow considering his T20 credentials.
AB de Villiers
Who is the most loved active cricketer in the world? The answer is Abraham Benjamin de Villiers. He can hit the cricket ball anywhere he wants to, he can play in the 360-degree arc and he can make any bowler feel like a club bowler.
Playing for RCB in the last few years, Indian fans know what is this man capable of. With him, moving to the top of the order, expectations raised to sky high.
He disappointed South Africa, he disappointed all in the world. If you see the stats, it isn’t bad either in fact, it is pretty good. 4 matches, 110 runs, at an average of 36.66 and strike rate of 180.32. It reads excellent, isn’t it?
Ok, let us think a bit. Where did South Africa lose the plot? Against England and against West Indies. What was ABD’s contribution in those matches? 16(8) and 10(12). Had he stayed 10 more minutes in the middle against England, that could have made a 10-20 difference in the total.
Not to forget that in those 110 runs he scored, 64 (29) came against Afganistan which is comparatively a weaker side.
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is India’s one of the best limited-overs batsmen along with Virat Kohli. He was in sublime form in the last 1-2 years. It could have been his World Cup but it wasn’t.
There is no doubt about his ability but he couldn’t deliver when it mattered the most. 5 matches, 88 runs, average of 17.60 and strike rate of 107.31 is nothing short than below par.
In the semifinal against West Indies, he got off to a good start. Another big knock was coming up but was eventually dismissed for a 31 ball 43.
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