World Cup 2019: 4 high-profile openers who flopped miserably at this tournament

The 2019 World Cup ended in a nail-biting finish between England and New Zealand in the super over. Overall, we witnessed several low-scoring and competitive games in this tournament, which kept the fans on the edge of their seats.

Due to the overcast conditions in several matches, the openers had to play the new ball cautiously and slowly built up their innings. There were several openers like Rohit Sharma, Jason Roy, and Aaron Finch who succeeded in doing so and hence scored valuable runs for their sides throughout the tournament.

On the other hand, the other openers unable to adapt to the conditions, played the new ball tentatively and henced failed to contribute for their teams in several matches. Let us have a look at the 4 quality openers who flopped miserably in this tournament.

#4 Hashim Amla

Hashim Amla's form was one of the most significant factors for South Africa's poor performance at the 2019 World Cup. Being the senior-most member of the team, Amla failed miserably with the bat as he was unable to give decent starts and build a platform for his team to put pressure on the opposition bowlers. He was tentative to the deliveries pitched outside his off-stump in all the matches he played and hence provided a perfect opportunity for the opposition bowlers to get rid of him easily.

Having scored 8113 runs in his ODI career, Amla managed to score just 203 runs in 7 matches in the tournament. Hence, his figures reflect that he flopped miserably and failed to help South Africa get a place in the semi-finals.

#3 Tamim Iqbal

Bangladesh v Afghanistan - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Tamim Iqbal's poor performance with the bat at the 2019 World Cup was a letdown for Bangladesh. Being regarded as a highly rated and aggressive opener, Iqbal was unable to provide any meaningful contribution at the top to help the in-form Shakib al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim in crucial matches in the tournament.

In 8 matches, Tamim managed to score just 235 runs at a low average of 29.38 and strike rate of 71.65. He was able to score only one fifty in the tournament.

#2 Martin Guptill

New Zealand v England - ICC Cricket World Cup Final 2019

Martin Guptill was perhaps one of the only Kiwis who under-performed at the 2019 World Cup. Throughout the tournament, he looked exposed to the ball moving outside his off-stump. Guptill was ineffective against the new ball, failed to give good starts for his team and didn't live up to the expectations desired from an experienced campaigner. His only worthy contribution in the World Cup was the terrific run-out of MS Dhoni which helped New Zealand reach the final.

In 10 matches, Guptill scored just 186 runs at a below-par average of 20.67. Further, he also got out twice on a duck in ten innings. Unlike his highest score of 237 in the 2015 World Cup, Guptill was not able to score a single century this time. Hence, the time has probably come for New Zealand to drop him for poor form.

#1 Chris Gayle

Afghanistan v West Indies - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Chris Gayle was, unfortunately, unable to entertain the audience with his fierce force as usual at the World Cup. The 'Universe Boss' got starts and played the new ball cautiously. Despite his patience, he was not able to convert them into centuries and hence failed to provide the muscle required by the West Indies at the top. The bowlers, too, were bowling the right line - swinging the ball away from him and evidently knew his weaknesses.

In 8 innings, Gayle managed to score just 242 runs at a paltry average of 30.25 and with the highest score of 87. Having played his last World Cup, the West Indies will surely miss his services.