World Cup 2019: Flop XI after the first half of the tournament

When we look at the other teams who have struggled to perform consistently, we understand that they didn’t make the most of the opportunities that were provided. To add to the misery, almost every team has been involved in an abandoned contests where a crucial point was lost. The main difference between the top 4 and the rest has been the ability to handle pressure situations.The 2019 World Cup which began on the 30th of May has reached the halfway mark already. With more than 20 matches remaining including the knock-outs and the final, the platform is set for all teams to raise their game. While teams like India, New Zealand have been unbeaten until now, England and Australia have lost just one game.

Coming back to the initial stage, there were key players on each side who failed to deliver. Let us come up with an eleven that performed poorly in the first half of the tournament. We have considered the first five games' performances for each team.

#1 Openers: Hashim Amla and Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle

Hashim Amla has been the backbone of the South African top order over the last decade. When it comes to the limited format, he certainly has been one of the best ever to play for his country. In 176 ODIs that he has played, he has scored in excess of 8000 runs with 27 tons. He is playing in his third world cup this time around. Unfortunately, he is not in good touch with scores of 13,6,6 and 41* in four matches. The main mantra of success for the team is to see Amla getting back to his best.

Gayle has been that kind of a player who has the ability to single-handedly swing the match in his team’s favor. His explosive nature and fearlessness can disturb even the best bowler on the planet. Having represented his county in 5 world cups, he has scored more than 1000 runs with two hundreds. But he has failed to meet the expectations in the first half of the ongoing world cup. In five games, he has scored a fifty against Pakistan. Apart from that, he has struggled to time the ball which was evident against Bangladesh when he got out for a duck facing 13 deliveries. Its time that he brings his A-game to England.

#2 Middle Order: Lahiru Thirimanne & Angelo Mathews

Lahiru Thirimanne

Thirimanne has been a key player for Sri Lanka at the top of the order. Even though he was inconsistent in his early days, he improved his technique to establish himself in the team. The experience of more than 100 ODIs and 3000 runs plays a massive role in the team’s performance, but that is not the case in this World Cup. In the three games that he has played, he has scores of 4, 25 and 16 which has proved to be a disaster for the team. If he can stay at the crease for a little more time, Sri Lanka can challenge even the best teams.

Angelo Mathews has been a reliable batting all-rounder for Sri Lanka in the last decade. He has scored more than 5000 runs and taken more than 100 wickets in the 50 over format. On the contrary, his World Cup appearances haven’t been impressive. In three World Cups he has played in, he has managed only one half-century in 18 matches. With great players Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara retiring from the game, it was his responsibility to step up for the team this time. But he failed to deliver with the bat as well as with the ball in the three matches he played. In order to get back to winning ways, Mathews has to play well.

#3 All Rounder and Wicket Keeper: Andre Russell & Sarfraz Ahmed

Sarfraz Ahmed

The 2019 IPL was dominated by Andre Russell’s cameos with the bat. Playing in his third World Cup, he was expected to finish games batting down the order as well as bowl tight spells as the third pacer. But in the initial games, he failed to fire as West Indies have managed only one win in the first five games. Russell has only managed 36 runs and 5 wickets in 4 matches, which is a huge concern for the team. If Russell can switch gears as he did in IPL, West Indies can have a shot to qualify for the semis.

After Azhar Ali stepped down from captaincy in February 2017, Sarfaraz was given the responsibility of leading the team. He justified his selection by leading the side from the front to win the Champions Trophy in 2017. In addition to this, he has the experience of successfully leading the side in big tournaments. Playing his second World Cup, his captaincy has been ineffective in the first half of the tournament with just one victory and three losses. Besides, he has not contributed with the bat and has been sloppy behind the stumps.

#4 Spinners: Rashid Khan and Adil Rashid

Rashid Khan

Adil Rashid has been a regular face in the England squad for the past 5 years. The leg spinner has been an asset taking over 130 wickets in 90 ODIs. This is the first time that he is part of the World Cup squad. Unfortunately, he has turned out to be very costly in every game so far. Also, he has failed to create the impact as he is too predictive. He has only been able to pick five wickets in five matches going over 6.50 an over. If England has to control the run flow in the middle overs, Adil Rashid has to deliver.

Every IPL fan knows the capability of Rashid Khan to single-handedly turn the game in his team’s favor in the shortest format. Not only has he been very good for Sunrisers Hyderabad, but he has also achieved a similar knack with his national team too. In ODIs, he is the fastest bowler to 100 wickets and has been the strike bowler for the team. Playing in his first World Cup this time, he has not had a very good campaign, capturing just 3 wickets in five matches. In a match against England, he conceded 110 runs in 9 overs which is his worst ever figures.

#5 Fast Bowlers: Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz & Mashrafe Mortaza

Hasan Ali

Hasan Ali has played four games for Pakistan in this World Cup. He has been a touch expensive in all four games. He has conceded over 80 runs against India in a high profile clash. The no-show from the experienced campaigner left Pakistan at the bottom of the table.

The first thing that every cricket fan remembers when someone talks about Wahab Riaz is that fiery spell against Australia in the 2015 World Cup. Apart from that, his best figures of 5 for 46 in a high voltage match against India in the 2011 World cup will also be cherished. All these performances tell us that he is a big match performer. But his form has taken a dip in the first half of the world cup. He has conceded way too many runs and taken fewer wickets. He was taken to the cleaners against England and India, indicating he is not at his best in this edition.

In the 2007 World Cup, it was Mashrafe Mortaza’s spell that riled the Indian batting line-up. His match-winning performance had earned him the ‘Player of the match’ award. 12 years on from that remarkable feat, Mortaza is still the go-to pacer for Bangladesh. He is also the skipper of the current Bangladesh team. But he has not impressed his fans with the ball, taking just one wicket in the first five matches of this World Cup. He would be itching to bowl well in the upcoming matches as his team is looking to qualify for the knock-outs.