World Cup 2019: Flop XI of the tournament

The 2019 World Cup came to a nail-biting end as England trumped New Zealand to win their maiden World Cup title at Lord's on Sunday. The final between both the sides was a cliffhanger and indeed one of the most incredible games the sport has ever witnessed.

While the tournament featured some of the most exhilarating performances from players all around the world, there were a number of quality players who failed to rise to the occasion and live up to their billing. Here, we have compiled an XI of such players so without further ado, let's dive straight in.

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#1 Martin Guptill (New Zealand)

New Zealand v England - ICC Cricket World Cup Final 2019

Considering Guptill was the highest run-scorer in the last edition of the World Cup, a host of New Zealand fans had pinned their hopes on his prowess as an opener. The 32-year-old did get off to a fine start in the tournament, scoring an unbeaten 73 in the opener against Sri Lanka.

However, from there onward, it all went downhill for the Kiwi batsman. On five occasions, he even failed to make it to double figures. Often, he used up a lot of deliveries before throwing away his wicket, thus building pressure for the middle order. In 10 matches, he was only able to rack up 186 runs at a paltry average of 20.66.

#2 Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan)

England v Pakistan - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Fakhar Zaman's exploits in Pakistan's title-winning ICC Champions Trophy 2017 campaign was reassuring for the team on so many accounts. After aeons of waiting, it finally appeared that the Men in Green had a dependable presence to open the innings for them.

Fast-forward to 2019, and the doubts have re-emerged. Fakhar could only manage 186 runs in this tournament at an average of 23.25 and a strike rate of 81.93, quite uncharacteristic of his natural game. His highest score of 62 came against arch-rivals India where helped set up a strong partnership with Babar Azam before falling prey to Kuldeep Yadav.

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#3 Aiden Markram (South Africa)

Australia v South Africa - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

South Africa's performance in this World Cup came across as one of the biggest shockers of the tournament. Perhaps a disjointed batting lineup was the main cause of their fiasco.

In the event of an inconsiderable opening partnership, Aiden Markram was expected to carry on from there. The expectations were high for the 24-year-old as he was batting in AB de Villiers' position. Nevertheless, his tender shoulders crumbled under pressure as he only scored 140 runs at an average of 23.33 in the tournament.

#4 Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka)

England v Sri Lanka - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

In a Sri Lankan team marked by utter chaos, Kusal Mendis was one of the few bright spots to look forward to. He has shown great promise with his coruscating displays in the past few years.

Sadly, he failed to replicate his form on the big stage. While Mendis did try to catch up in the latter part of the tournament, he chalked up only 143 runs and averaged 20.4 in the whole tournament without a single half-century.

#5 Glenn Maxwell (Australia)

Australia v England - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Semi-Final

Known for his powerful hitting and providing crucial breakthroughs with the ball, Maxwell was an invaluable figure for the Aussies. Unfortunately, he put up a horror show in both of the departments.

While he did maintain an impressive strike rate, he couldn't rack up much-needed runs for his side and ended up squandering his wicket more often than not. Maxwell registered a total of 177 runs in 10 matches averaging only 22.12. The 30-year-old was a disappointment in the bowling department as well, going wicketless in the entire tournament.

#6 Sarfaraz Ahmed (Pakistan) (C &WK)

Pakistan v Bangladesh - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Skippering this side would be Pakistan's wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed. While Pakistan's batting lineup remained a concern throughout the tournament, their skipper Sarfaraz couldn't inspire the team with consistent performances either.

Though he notched up modest runs in the initial phase of the tournament, he seemed to have completely lost his touch going forward. Sarfaraz managed just 143 runs in 8 matches and averaged 28.6.

#7 Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)

Afghanistan v West Indies - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

This was indeed a difficult tournament for the spinners bearing in mind not a single spinner could make it to the top 10 wicket-takers of the tournament. Still, Rashid Khan stands out among the worst bowlers of the tournament. He came into this World Cup ranked second among the highest wicket-takers in the world over the last four years.

Despite that spectacular stat, he only managed 9 scalps over the course of the tournament. Presently, Rashid also holds the unwanted record of the most expensive figures in a World Cup game having conceded 110 runs in 9 overs against England.

#8 Kuldeep Yadav (India)

India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 4

Apart from a magical delivery that led to Babar Azam's dismissal, Kuldeep Yadav couldn't do anything exceptional during the World Cup. Instead, he became a lot more predictable than usual and was excluded from the squad towards the close of the tournament. He picked up six wickets in 7 matches at a strike rate of 67.

#9 Mashrafe Mortaza (Bangladesh)

New Zealand v Bangladesh - ODI Game 2

While his peers helped Bangladesh to a respectable finish in the tournament, the skipper Mashrafe remained an inconspicuous figure. The veteran only managed a solitary wicket in the entirety of the tournament and also did not complete his 10 overs barring the match against England. For now, he will continue to skipper Bangladesh in the near future, but he hasn't made the most out of it his senior role in the team.

#10 Hasan Ali (Pakistan)

England v Pakistan - 3rd Royal London ODI

After being adjudged the Player of the Tournament in Champions Trophy 2017, Hasan Ali's form in international cricket has slumped big time. He only took 2 wickets in 4 matches and continued to ship runs at an alarming rate. In the high-voltage match against India, he conceded 84 runs in 9 overs with a single wicket. Obviously, the management expected a lot better from him and left him out in the cold in favor of Shaheen Shah Afridi halfway through the World Cup.

#11 Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)

Sri Lanka v South Africa – ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Warm-Up

With Dale Steyn and Lungi Ngidi injured, Rabada was easily in the vanguard of South Africa's beleaguered pace attack. However, by his stratospheric standards, he didn't make the grade having taken 11 wickets in 9 matches at an economy rate of 5.08.

Even skipper Faf du Plessis expressed his disappointment in Rabada as he felt that IPL took a toll on his performances in the World Cup.