World Cup 2019: Five players who flopped

Rashid Khan had a tournament to forget.

The group stage of World Cup 2019 has come to an end and the top four teams will now sweat it out for the ultimate cricketing crown. The semis kick off with India taking on New Zealand at Old Trafford, Manchester on Tuesday, July 9th followed by Australia facing off against hosts England at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

The unpredictability of this tournament was seen as South Africa failed to make an impact until the very end while teams like Pakistan and Bangladesh gave a tough fight for qualification.

We have had some stunning performances in the group stage from the fiery yorkers of Mitchell Starc to the undying brilliance of Rohit Sharma. Also brilliant was the performance of Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan who defined consistency and single-handedly won many games for his side.

While there were many such top performers, the performances of certain players were a huge letdown for both the fans and management alike and this often resulted in the loss of team balance which in turn led to a poor league phase.

Let's take a look at five players who disappointed the most and flopped in this tournament.

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#5 Shoaib Malik (Pakistan)

Shoaib Malik.

One of the many veterans taking part in the tournament, Shoaib Malik, has had a rather poor tournament and has let down many people failing the expectations of many people back home. He failed to make any impact in the three games he played. He managed to make six runs on a great Trent Bridge wicket against England while picking up one wicket.

In the following games against Australia and India, Shoaib let down his side greatly as he got out for a duck in situations which required him to build a partnership.

He announced his retirement from ODIs after Pakistan failed to make it to the semi-finals because of their low net run rate, rounding off a flop WC campaign for the star player.

Also see – India vs New Zealand head to head stats

#4 Hashim Amla (South Africa)

Hashim Amla.

Hashim Amla's stats in this World Cup don't reflect his real performance in the tournament as he has struggled to make runs during key games and has allowed the opponents to dominate them in key stages of the game. He could make only 13 runs in the opener against England and after suffering an injury, made a struggling six runs against India followed by another six runs in a washed-out game against the West Indies.

He did make a couple of good scores against Sri Lanka and New Zealand but both of them were of no use to the side as the paltry performances from this quality player had already contributed to the Proteas' early exit to the campaign.

In total, he has scored 203 runs from 7 matches at a good average of 40.60 at a poor strike-rate of 64 and this has been a flop tournament for someone from whom a lot was expected.

#3 Angelo Mathews(Sri Lanka)

Angelo Mathews scored a brilliant ton against India.

Angelo Mathews scored a brilliant 113 in the final game against India but that doesn't reflect the nature of his performance in this tournament. The most senior batsman in the Sri Lankan team, he failed to perform when required and barring a good outing against England, he failed to turn up for the key games and couldn't build partnerships when required.

He made 244 runs from 7 innings averaging 40.66 but he could make only nine runs from the first 3 matches. After their splendid, fighting win at Headingley against England, Mathews failed to click in key moments against South Africa and West Indies, moments which could've help them get a fighting chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.

Despite having a decent record, Mathews' tournament has been a flop and he has way more quality in him than what he has given for his side. One would expect a player of his caliber and experience to do better and he'll look to better his performances in upcoming games.

#2 Martin Guptill (New Zealand)

Martin Guptill was the top run-getter in the 2015 World Cup but has struggled this time.

Martin Guptill has had a pretty poor tournament by normal standards and despite the Kiwis making it to the semis, Guptill along with the other openers in Colin Munro and Henry Nicholls, have failed to make the desired impact.

Guptill did start off pretty well and made an unbeaten 73 in the first game alongside Colin Munro's 58 in reply to Sri Lanka's paltry total of 138. Since then, he has however got out twice with out scoring and has struggled to find his form and consistency, getting out in weird ways including a hit wicket against South Africa.

He has made only 166 runs from 8 innings, averaging a poor 23.71 and his season has been a flop until now. He will get a chance to prove himself when New Zealand take on India in their semi-finals at Old Trafford and will look to finally come good for his side.

#1 Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)

Rashid Khan.

The No.3 ODI spinner, the most celebrated spinner in world cricket right now, Rashid Khan, had a rather forgettable World Cu,p and so did Afghanistan. They set pretty high expectations by stunning Pakistan in their first warm-up game but failed to replicate the success during their nine group-stage games, losing all of them.

Rashid too was unable to get turn on the English pitches and often succumbed to pressure, bowling erratically when attacked. There were many moments of brilliance from him but their frequency was pretty less and the batsmen found it easy to play out the good balls and punish the bad ones.

Eoin Morgan, the England skipper especially mauled him by striking 11 sixes of his bowling as the leggie conceded 110 runs in nine overs going wicket-less against England.

Overall, Rashid could pick up only seven wickets from nine games showing that he needs to improve his adaptability on surfaces which don't turn and despite there being a valid reason behind it, his tournament was a flop with the high bar he had set preceding it.