World Cup 2019: Five worst individual bowling performances so far

While cricket has never been a bowler’s game, some of the bowling performances in this edition of the World Cup have left a lot to be desired. Despite all the talk of batting-conducive wickets preceding the World Cup and the England Cricket Board revising its scoreboard to fit in 500 runs, we’ve been offered more than our fair share of bowling-friendly tracks.

It’s this factor that makes some of the bowling performances doled out this World Cup all the more vexing. While some bowlers have dazzled the Cup, like Mitchell Starc, others have failed to hit the right areas and been put away for colossal runs, subsequently letting their teams down single-handedly.

We take a look at the five worst individual bowling performances from the league stage matches, given the conditions and circumstances, and how they ended up hurting their side’s chances of registering a win in those encounters.

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Gulbadin Naib.

Gulbadin Naib: 0-73

In arguably one of the worst bowling performances this World Cup, Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib tops our list, not just for the runs he went for, but the circumstances he delivered his contentious spell in. Playing on a sticky wicket where the Afghan spinners were flourishing and getting the ball to grip and spin to leave Pakistan’s batsmen flummoxed, Naib’s decision to get himself on to bowl repeatedly was a flabbergasting one.

The captain took arguably one of the worst decisions of the tournament, breaking the entire momentum his side had garnered. With Mohmmad Nabi, Samiullah Shinwari and Rashid Khan putting a halt to Pakistan’s chase of 228, picking up 5 wickets for 84 runs, Naib kept breaking his side’s momentum through his ineffectual spells.

And he ultimately ended up throwing the match for his side when he came on in the 47th over. At a time when Pakistan needed over 40 in four overs, he was thrashed for 16, loosening the tight-hold Afghanistan had Pakistan in. He wrapped up things by failing to rectify his mistake, opting for himself in the last over as well that saw Pakistan bringing up the winning runs easily.

Also see – Australia vs England head to head stats

Hasan Ali.

Hasan Ali: 1-84

It’s the stature of this encounter which sees Hasan Ali’s horrendous spell, in the crunch match between India and Pakistan, make its way into our top-five worst bowling performances. After winning, what was expected to be a good toss, and choosing to bowl first under heavily overcast conditions at the Old Trafford Cricket Stadium, Ali delivered a shambolic show with the new ball.

Despite Mohammad Amir keeping things tight at one end, Ali allowed India to break free off all the pressure at the other end. He extracted nothing at all from a pitch that had more than its fair share, especially for the shiny white ball early on. His length was poor, allowing India’s batsmen the room and time needed to play their shots. He subsequently went for 84 runs from his nine overs in what was his last match for the side.

Adam Zampa.

Adam Zampa: 0-50

Now dropped in favor of Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa’s six overs against India for 50 runs became one of the main reasons for his going out of favor. He’s endured an average World Cup after a strong series against India, one where he got the ball to turn and frisk around, something he’s failed to do on these English surfaces.

In a match where India went on to post 352, eventually defeating Australia by 36 runs, Zampa’s spell became a major headache for Australia. He was decimated in the middle-overs, with the wrist bowler failing to trouble the right-handers, his shorter length ball being launched to the boundary at will. Australia were forced to compensate for his overs with Marcus Stoinis and Glen Maxwell, making them tear apart their entire game-plan, which ended up becoming a major cause for them leaking runs on the day.

These moments have come few and far between for the leg-spinner.

Rashid Khan: 0-110

Becoming the second most expensive bowler in ODIs, Rashid Khan’s air of invincibility was broken down by England, in particular Eoin Morgan, who took a special liking to him. It’s been a disappointing World Cup for the spinner who arrived with a big reputation but got massively exposed in the biggest stage of the 50-over format..

Scoring 148 off 71 balls that day as Morgan took England to 397-6, the highest total so far of this tournament, Rashid was accorded special treatment. Rashid kept giving air and sending the deliveries in Morgan’s hitting area, on the off-stump with little deviation and was hoiked over the ropes repeatedly.

Morgan eventually went on to hit 17 sixes, the most by a batsman in an ODI innings with England’s total rising up to a mammoth 25, another record. The hugely-talented leg-spinner’s spell was a major cause behind Afghanistan’s predicament on the day.

Carlos Brathwaite hit one of the best centuries of the Cup but had lows with the ball.

Carlos Brathwaite: 0-53

If Naib’s spell ended up breaking the momentum for his side and seeing them fall short from a commanding position, Carlos Brathwaite’s 7 overs for 53 against Sri Lanka falls in the same bracket. With West Indies showing immense fighting spirit in overs 30-40, Brathwaite ending up ruining all the good work done when he was brought in to fill in Shannon Gabriel’s overs.

He was taken apart for 26 runs in the two overs he bowled in the final 10, spraying the ball all over the pitch. It allowed an out-of-form Lahiru Thirimanne to find the boundary and add a crucial extra 20 runs in the closing stages of the match, which was ultimately the decisive factor. While Brathwaite scored a fine century against New Zealand that nearly gave his team an improbable victory, he is still a work in progress as evidenced by this World Cup.