5 T20 greats who failed to live up to expectations in T20 Internationals

McCullum is one of the most consistent players in both T20s and T20Is In an age where fans prefer the shorter format mainly for entertainment and its fast paced nature, there have been some great T20 players who could not live up to expectations in the format in international cricket while representing their nation.Some of the names on the list might be surprising, however, these great T20 players just can't seem to find the same kind of form in T20s and T20Is.Here we compare some T20 greats’ performances in the Twenty20 format in leagues and in internationals:

#1 AB De Villiers

The South African batting sensation might be the best in the world but his T20 internationals record has not been as impressive. In 63 T20Is for South Africa, he has managed only 1197 runs at a dispiriting average of 22.88 – much lesser than what is expected from him.

But when it comes to other T20 contests, his record is alluring – AB de Villiers has scored 4268 runs at a strike rate of about 140 at an average of about 31. For the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, the Proteas batsman has scripted many memorable knocks and has won many matches single-handedly for them.

However in the Twenty20 Internationals, he is not able to perform. Maybe the pressure of playing for the nation comes in as a deciding factor. But given his ability and innovative technique, it is really surprising that he fails in T20Is.

#2 Kieron Pollard

Kieron Pollard might not have played Test cricket, but when it comes to T20s, he is one of the best in the business. The big West Indian hitter has played in almost all T20 leagues over the world and has represented several T20 teams.

With all that experience and reputation of being a T20 specialist, one might think that he is a good Twenty20 Internationals player as well. But, his T20I record is not as winsome as his Twenty20 record.

In 299 T20 matches, he has scored over 5887 runs and has picked up 214 wickets at an impressive average of 23. While, in 45 T20 internationals he has 664 runs and 22 wickets.

His Twenty20 record does not reflect how great a T20 player he is. On the field, he is an entertaining player and has one of the safest pair of hands as he does not miss many catches. Pollard is one of the most popular players in the Indian Premier League due to a huge fan base here in India.

#3 Dwayne Bravo

Another West-Indian all-rounder, Dwayne Bravo has been one of the best in the shortest format of the game. His consistency has fetched him lucrative contracts in the T20 tournaments.

In this format, he is particularly known for his aggressive batting in the middle and his brilliant death bowling. In 273 Twenty20 games, he has amassed 4379 runs and has registered over 281 wickets.

When compared to that, in 55 internationals, he has only 991 runs and 40 wickets. Bravo has now played a lot of T20Is for West Indies as well but he has not been able to emulate his Twenty20 performance in T20Is.

The West Indian is also known for his typical Caribbean dance moves in the celebration after picking up a wicket or taking a catch. Bravo is the only player to win the Purple Cap twice in the Indian Premier league. He was the leading wicket taker in 2013 and 2015 editions of the IPL.

#4 Yasir Arafat

Pakistan is known for producing quality fast bowlers. Yasir Arafat first represented Pakistan at the tender age of 17 when he made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in Karachi in the year 2000.

After that, he made irregular appearances for Pakistan but could not cement his place. His Test debut came in 2007 against India at Bangalore where he impressed by picking up 7 wickets and scoring 44 runs.

That spell also included a 5-wicket haul. Despite all this, he kept performing in domestic and first class cricket. He played 13 T20Is for Pakistan and has 16 scalps to his name. But, in Twenty20 cricket he has taken 277 wickets in 217 matches.

Clearly, he failed to showcase his abilities while playing for Pakistan. He played in the Big Bash League for Perth Scorchers performed consistently for them.

#5 MS Dhoni

Captain Cool and one of the best finishers in the history of the game, MS Dhoni makes it to the list as well. You might be wondering why. But, it turns out that Dhoni who has impressive strike rates most of the times and respectable averages does not have that great a record when it comes to T20 internationals.

In the Indian Premier League, in 129 matches he has scored 2988 runs at an average of just under 40. But in T20 internationals, his average drops down to around 33.61. He was 21 not-outs out of the 47 innings he has batted in T20Is. He generally loves pressure conditions and always performs when required.

But somehow in Indian colours, he has not shown same the fearless approach as in the IPL. His aggressive knock of 63 off 19 in the last season against Sun Risers Hyderabad proves that he can take the game away if he wants to. Thisara Perera was the unlucky bowler on the occasion as Dhoni took him for 34 runs in one over that included 5 sixes and one four. The bowler was absolutely clueless and could not help.