Flop XI of first half of the 2023 ODI World Cup ft. Steve Smith and Shardul Thakur 

The ongoing ICC men's ODI World Cup 2023 has been making a lot of noise around the world. It all started with defending champions England suffering a comprehensive defeat against New Zealand in Ahmedabad.

Much to the excitement of the Indian fans, the Men in Blue have been extremely dominant thus far; they have won their first five matches to sit comfortably on top of the points table. Teams like South Africa and New Zealand have also been superb, and are likely to qualify for the knockout stages.

With 23 of the total 45 league games already over, we are entering the business end of the tournament. Every game from here on will be key to deciding the fate of each team.

So far, we have witnessed some astounding knocks by the batters and many match-winning spells by the bowlers. Some players are peaking at the right time while some are finding it hard to prove their mettle in the tournament.

On that note, let us take a look at the players who have flopped thus far.

Note: Only games from Match 1 (NZ vs ENG) to Match 23 (SA vs BAN) in ODI World Cup 2023 have been taken into consideration.

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Openers: Jonny Bairstow and Kusal Perera

Jonny Bairstow for England [Getty Images]

Where most of the openers have done well for their teams, Jonny Bairstow and Kusal Perera haven't clicked yet. Both aggressive batters can single-handedly change the course of a match on any given day. Unfortunately for them, that day hasn't come so far in the tournament.

Bairstow, who kicked off the 2023 ODI World Cup with a six, has made 97 runs at an average of 24.25 across four games thus far. His strike rate of 88.18 has also been nothing to boast about.

Perera, meanwhile, did make 78 runs against Australia. However, that has been pretty much it for the southpaw.

Sri Lanka would have hoped for Perera to give them quick starts, but the 33-year-old has made just 90 runs at a poor strike rate of 82.57. It won't be a surprise if Sri Lanka go on to replace him with Dimuth Karunaratne for the next few games.

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Middle-order: Steve Smith, Najmul Shanto and Jos Buttler (c & wk)

Steve Smith is yet to fire in the 2023 World Cup [Getty Images]

Who would've thought that the likes of Steve Smith and Jos Buttler would feature on this XI?

The two world-class batters, who are great against both spin and pace, play a crucial role for their respective teams. However, neither of them has lit up the quadrennial tournament this time around.

Australia's Steve Smith started his campaign with a painstaking 46 (off 71) against India but has managed just 26 more runs in his next three innings. The unorthodox right-hander has accumulated a total of 72 runs at an average of 18 thus far.

At No. 4 is Bangladesh's Najmul Hossain Shanto. The elegant left-hander made 193 runs at an average of 96.50 across two fixtures at the 2023 Asia Cup. He was expected to continue his impressive form and make some important runs in the middle-order for Bangladesh.

However, having batted five times in the tournament, he has made just 74 runs at a dismal average and strike rate of 18.50 and 67.27, respectively.

England's Jos Buttler will captain and keep wickets in this imaginary XI. The destructive white-ball player has left a lot to be desired, having notched up just 87 runs at an average of 21.75 across four innings.

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All-rounders: Dhananjaya de Silva, Mohammad Nawaz and Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur during India v Bangladesh - ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Match [Getty Images]

The Flop XI will feature three all-rounders in Dhananjaya de Silva, Mohammad Nawaz and Shardul Thakur. None of the three has made any significant impact with their all-round skills.

Although De Silva has made starts with the bat in most of his matches, he has only scored a total of 73 runs. His strike rate of 74.48 is also too low for a No. 6 batter.

The other spin bowling all-rounder in this team, Mohammad Nawaz, was recently dropped for the match against Afghanistan. The left-armer featured in Pakistan's first four games, where he scored just 57 runs. He also picked up just a couple of wickets, and that too at a bowling average of 91.5.

The only Indian player in this XI, Shardul Thakur has played three of the first five games for the Men in Blue in the tournament. While he didn't get an opportunity to bat, Thakur produced unsatisfactory performances with the ball.

The opposition batters found it easy to score runs off him, as the right-arm pacer leaked runs at an economy rate of 6.00 and managed to bag just two wickets at an average of 51.

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Bowlers: Mark Wood, Haris Rauf and Mustafizur Rahman

Haris Rauf has been struggling in the ongoing tournament [Getty Images]

The pitches in India have allowed batters to face even the quickest pacers rather comfortably. Two rapid speedsters, Mark Wood and Haris Rauf, are yet to find the right line and length to cause any trouble to the opposition batters.

The fact that Mark Wood's batting has been far more entertaining than his bowling is a sign of worry for the English fans. After all, the 33-year-old has picked up just three wickets at a shoddy average of 70.00 and an economy rate of 6.77 across four innings.

Right from the warm-up fixtures to the midway point of the main tournament, Haris Rauf has just not been able to put a halt to the runs. Despite getting hammered square of the boundaries, he has consistently pitched short deliveries, at which most of the batters have thrived.

Although he has taken eight wickets thus far, Rauf's economy rate of 6.98 is the worst among the bowlers who have bowled over 40 overs in the tournament.

At No. 11 is Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman, who has failed to provide breakthroughs for his team. Despite being the most experienced pacer in his team, the left-arm pacer has managed to pick up just two wickets at a substandard average and strike rate of 119.5 and 117, respectively.

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FLOP XI of the first half of 2023 ODI World Cup:

Jonny Bairstow, Kusal Perera, Steve Smith, Najmul Shanto, Jos Buttler (c&wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Mohammad Nawaz, Shardul Thakur, Mark Wood, Haris Rauf and Mustafizur Rahman