Big tournaments produce some big successes but also some big failures as well. The same has been the case with the ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia. When the failed players are renowned superstars, then their failures are quite hard to digest for their fans.
This blog discusses the 5 most well-known players who failed to perform in T20 World Cup 2022. So, without any further ado, let’s begin.
1) Babar Azam
There’s no exaggeration in saying that Babar Azam has so far been the biggest disappointment of this World Cup. He was the highest run-scorer in the 2021 T20 World Cup, and many cricket pundits were expecting the same this year. But, this time around, things have gone horribly wrong for the Pakistan captain.
After scoring a golden duck against India in his first outing, his struggles continued as he departed for 4(9) against Zimbabwe. A third one followed the two failures as he was run out for 4(5) vs. Netherlands. At that time, everybody thought there could be nothing worse for Babar, but the worse was yet to come.
Babar’s next two batting performances were arguably the worst of his life. Against South Africa, he could barely time anything and was dismissed after a miserable knock of 6(15). It was followed by even poorer innings of 33 ball 25 against Bangladesh, which made an easy chase hard for Pakistan.
In 5 matches combined, Babar has managed 39 runs at an average of 7.8 and a poor strike rate of 61.90. That’s why he is the worst performer on SportiScore’s players’ list with -58.87 points. These numbers are no less than a nightmare for one of the best batters of this era.
2) David Warner
The southpaw was the second-highest run scorer in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup. He hit 289 runs at an average of 48.16 and an SR of 146.70 in last year’s T20 World Cup. But, his performances have taken a 180° turn in this year’s marque event.
In a total of 4 games he played, his aggregate was just 44 runs at a miserable strike rate of 107.32. His only decent knock in the tournament was an 18-ball 25 against Afghanistan. In the other three matches against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Ireland, his scores read 11(10), 5(6), and 3(7), respectively.
His poor run of form has resulted in -13.22 points for him as per the SportiScore’s formula. For a player of his class and quality, it’s certainly a tournament to forget.
3) Mohammad Rizwan
Just like his opening partner, Rizwan has also been reeling in this World Cup. Before the start of this tournament, he was averaging in excess of 50 and was ranked #1 by ICC in this format. But, the Australian conditions proved too hot to handle for him, and he could manage only 103 runs in 5 matches on exactly 103 balls.
That strike rate of 100 is enough to explain his problems which started in Pakistan’s first game against India. He batted for 12 deliveries in that game and scored only 4 runs. The struggle continued for him as he was dismissed for a 16-ball 14 against Zimbabwe.
Then, he played a decent innings of 49(39) vs. the Netherlands. But it was followed by two run-a-ball knocks. He scored 4(4) vs. South Africa and 32(32) vs. Bangladesh. In each of the 5 games, he has looked nowhere close to his best.
Apart from that one innings against the Dutch, his other 4 batting contributions have resulted in only 54 runs at the expense of 64 deliveries. A batter who looked unstoppable for any opposition in the last couple of years has gone absolutely nowhere in this mega event. That’s why he has accumulated -8.64 SportiScore points for the super-12 round.
4) Rohit Sharma
India’s Hitman has been no way around his hitting best in this World Cup. During the 5 games, he has scored just 89 runs at an average of 17.8 and an SR of just 109.88. These below-par stats have awarded him -4.67 SportiScore points in the tournament, and he is the 4th on the list of worst performers.
After scoring just 4 of 7 in India’s World Cup opener against Pakistan, he showed signs of getting back in touch against the Dutch. He smashed 53 runs off 39 balls but was given a couple of early reprives.
Then, his poor run of form continued against South Africa when he was dismissed for 15(14). India’s last two games of the super-12 round didn’t bring any joy to their skipper as he managed 2(8) and 15(14) against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
If we take out that one half-century against the Netherlands, Rohit has consumed 42 deliveries for his 36 runs in 4 matches. This clearly is not anywhere close to where he would like his stats to be.
5) Kagiso Rabada
At the age of 27, KG has got 448 International wickets which is a massive achievement. He is arguably one of the best fast bowlers going around, but quite unexpectedly, he turned out to be the weakest link in South Africa’s bowling lineup during this World Cup.
His bowling figures against two comparatively weaker sides – Bangladesh and Zimbabwe – were 2 overs 20 for 0 and 3 overs 24 for 1, respectively. In the next game against India, he gave away just 26 runs in 4 overs but was wicketless and also the least impressive amongst the four Proteas’ quicks on Perth’s pitch.
He went for plenty in the next two games. Against Pakistan, his solitary wicket came at the expense of 44 runs in 4 overs, and he gave away 37 in 3 overs against the Netherlands without picking up any wickets.
Overall, just 2 wickets in 5 games and an economy rate of 9.44 awarded him 6.45 SportiScores. Thus, he became the only bowler to be included in Sportiqo’s 5 underperforming players of the super-12 stage.
