ODI World Cup 2023: Flop XI from group stages

The 2023 ODI World Cup has been a spectacular tournament, showcasing thrilling matches across India's picturesque stadiums. The four semi-finalists—India, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand—have provided fans with exceptional cricket moments. The group stages, comprising 45 matches, witnessed each team giving their best, with underdogs like Afghanistan surprising big teams by securing a spot in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

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India is set to face New Zealand in the first semi-final at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, while the second semi-final will see South Africa taking on Australia at Kolkata's Eden Gardens. Despite overall strong performances, some players failed to meet expectations. In this article, we'll explore the flop XI of the tournament up to the group stages.

Top Order: Jonny Bairstow, Temba Bavuma, Joe Root

Jonny Bairstow's performance in the ongoing tournament has fallen short of expectations from both team management and fans. With just two half-centuries to his name, the England opener has struggled, amassing only 215 runs in 9 innings. His average stands at 23.88, coupled with a strike rate of 88.47, reflecting a subpar contribution to the competition.

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Temba Bavuma's performance in the tournament for South Africa has been disappointing, as he managed only 145 runs in the 7 innings he played out of the team's 9 league matches. With an average of 20.71, Bavuma failed to make a significant impact, lacking both a half-century and a century.

Despite being a key contributor with the bat in the 2019 edition, Joe Root has struggled to meet expectations in the current tournament. After scoring two consecutive fifties in the first two matches, he has been unable to capitalize on his starts. Root has accumulated 276 runs in this edition at an average of 30.66 and a strike rate of 88.46, falling short of the impactful performances he delivered in the previous World Cup.

Middle-Order – Babar Azam, Jos Butler (wk)

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Babar Azam, despite being the World Cup's highest-ranked batter, struggled to live up to his reputation and consequently lost his position as the No. 1 player in the Men's Rankings. Despite notching up four fifties, Babar fell short of reaching the century mark. As the team's captain, his leadership came into question as the Men in Green were eliminated from the tournament for the second consecutive time.

Joining him in the disappointments is wicket-keeper batter Jos Buttler, who managed to score only 138 runs in his 9 innings for England. Buttler's subdued performance with the bat added to England's challenges in the tournament, contributing to their overall struggles. Both Babar Azam and Jos Buttler will likely face scrutiny as they reflect on their performances in the World Cup.

All-Rounders – Shakib Al Hasan and Shadab Khan

In his fifth World Cup appearance, Shakib Al Hasan failed to meet expectations, facing challenges with injuries that disrupted his participation. The top all-rounder missed a match against India due to a thigh strain and was sidelined in the last league game due to a finger injury. Despite these setbacks, Shakib managed to secure 9 wickets and contributed 186 runs in the current edition.

Regarded as one of the finest all-rounders and leg spinners, Pakistan's Shadab Khan can trouble top batters on his day. However, he exhibited inconsistency in this World Cup. The vice-captain featured in six matches, managing two wickets and scoring 121 runs.

Bowlers – Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Mitchell Starc, Mark Wood

The bowling lineup of this XI begins with Pakistan spinner Usama Mir, who managed to secure only 4 wickets in the 4 matches he played during the tournament. In the pace department, the prominent figure is Pakistan's star bowler Haris Rauf, who, despite picking up an impressive 16 wickets, emerged as the most expensive bowler in the entire ODI World Cup 2023. Rauf conceded a notable 533 runs in 79.0 overs.

Mitchell Starc's form in the 2023 World Cup has been below par, lacking impact with the new ball and in his opening spells, aside from a couple of matches. Despite being considered one of the finest pacers of his generation, Starc has struggled in this mega event, playing 8 matches and securing 10 wickets with a disappointing average of 43.90 and an economy of 6.55. Surprisingly, he doesn't even feature among the top 10 leading wicket-takers in the tournament.

Meanwhile, England's pace star Mark Wood has also faced a downturn in form, managing only six wickets in seven matches with an economy rate of 6.46 and a high average of 58.16. Wood's inability to find the right line and length impacted England's performance, leading to their early exit from the tournament as defending champions.