ICC Champions Trophy 2017: 5 prominent players that were benched the whole tournament

Another exciting ICC Champions Trophy is done and dusted after the highly mercurial Pakistan toppled India in a high voltage final at The Oval. A tournament of unexpected results started with Pakistan knocking England out in the semis and Bangladesh trumping New Zealand to reach the semi-finals. India, widely expected to emerge victorious were then stunned in the final by a young opener (Fakhar Zaman) and an ominous spell from Mohammad Amir.

In hindsight, most teams will a go back to the drawing board and analyse where they went wrong in the short event. South Africa and Australia crashed out in the group stages as did a good looking New Zealand side while Sri Lanka stunned India before exiting gracefully after a loss to Pakistan.

While teams and players head back to their home countries with mixed emotions some of them would be wondering why they never got to represent their nation in a single game despite being in the squad. Here are the five most prominent of them.

#5 Ajinkya Rahane

Despite being one of the most reliable Test batsmen in the Indian side, Ajinkya Rahane was benched right through the Champions Trophy. With Rohit Sharma returning to the top of the order and Shikhar Dhawan finding form in the IPL, Rahane could not be considered for a spot at the top.

The middle-order comprising of Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya was also jam packed to fit in someone like Rahane, who is often criticised for his strike rate and failed to make any mark in the warm-up games. The Mumbaikar also had a poor IPL despite his franchise, the Pune Supergiant, emerging runners-up. Rahane has played just one ODI for India in 2017 – scoring as many runs.

#4 Chris Lynn

Despite impressive returns in recent months, Lynn did not get game time

The hard-hitting Aussie batsman was omitted in favour of Moises Henriques right through the tournament. The decision was widely criticised for Lynn was in great touch for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. His enterprising stands with Sunil Narine at the top were, however, seemingly not enough for the Aussies to pick him.

What was even more bizarre was Australia being adamant about sticking with Henriques despite the all-rounder doing little to justify his place in the side. Lynn would have been an ideal candidate to replace him and provide some much-needed firepower to the middle-order. He was touted to be among the players to watch out for in the eight-team tournament. But, Alas! It was not to be.

#3 Mitchell McClenaghan

Adam Milne was preferred over a volatile bowler like McClenaghan

The quickish left-arm seam bowler has been a regular in the Black Caps ODI line-up but was overlooked in England. With a knack for taking early wickets, McClenaghan can seam the new ball and also possesses a sharp bouncer. He was a permanent member in the Mumbai Indians line-up in the IPL – leading them from the front to a record third title.

However, the Kiwis were right to bench him with Adam Milne hitting his straps and bowling with heart and venom. Tim Southee and Trent Boult had filled up the other seam bowling spots and which rendered McClanahan's pace dispensable.

#2 Steven Finn

A genuine wicket-taker, Steven Finn replaced Chris Woakes only to remain on the sidelines

The lanky England seamer was a late replacement for Chris Woakes in the England squad after the all-rounder injured himself in the first match of the tournament against Bangladesh. Known for his extra yard of pace and zippy bounce, Finn was identified as a really promising find.

However, he faded off after an enterprising start to his career and the call-up in itself was more of a bonus. What sets apart Finn is his uncanny ability to take wickets. Although Plunkett, Stokes, Wood and Ball did a pretty handy job, England missed an X-Factor player like Finn in the crucial semi-final against Pakistan.

#1 Mohammad Shami

Shami didn’t get a chance to display his skills with the scruffy old ball

Mohammad Shami was expected to be in the starting XI of India's limited over sides at the beginning of 2017. However, with the emergence of Jasprit Bumrah and the renaissance of Umesh Yadav, Shami was sidelined with injuries also not helping his cause. Poor returns in the IPL also did not help matters either although a searing yorker to dismiss David Warner stood out.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah were preferred over him and with Hardik Pandya also capable of bowling seam, Shami was in England only as a backup. There is no doubting the immense potential he possesses. However, he will need more of that to translate into performances on the field to be a regular in the playing XI.