The 13th edition of the ICC World Cup witnessed some of the greatest moments in the mega event’s history but at the same time some of the players failed to live up to expectations.
In this article, we dig deep into the performances of players who didn't perform up to the mark.
After assessing the performances of players during the tournament, here is the ICC World Cup 2023 Flop XI.
1. Temba Bavuma (c)
The name of the South African skipper surely doesn't come as a surprise to anyone who watched the World Cup.
Bavuma came to the world's brightest stage with four centuries to his name in the year but massively failed to perform for his side. In eight matches the 33-year-old played, he only managed to score 145 runs at 18.12 average.
2. Imam-ul-Haq
Imam was ranked the number three batter in the ICC rankings just one and a half months before the start of the World Cup, so there were expectations from him to do well but the 27-year-old failed to do what was asked of him.
Imam batted in six innings, but could only score 162 runs with a 27.00 average and a strike of 90.
3. Harry Brook
One of the finest young players in the world of cricket with a monumental range of shots under his belt, Harry Brook had the chance to take the World Cup by storm but he failed to do that.
In six matches, the youngster could only amass 169 runs at an average of 28.16, failing to provide the struggling English side the breakthrough they needed.
4. Mushfiqur Rahim
One of the most senior players at the World Cup, featuring in his fifth mega event, Mushfiqur Rahim was carrying a load of expectations on his shoulders and why should he not have? Bangladeshi people, especially after Tamim Iqbal was left out of the squad, were waiting to witness something from him but he only managed to score 202 runs in nine matches at an average of 25.25.
5. Tom Latham
While he led New Zealand brilliantly during Kane Williamson’s absence and did his job behind the stumps as a wicketkeeper, Tom Latham surely didn’t contribute much with the bat, scoring only 155 runs in eight innings at an average of 25.83 and a woeful strike rate of 91.17.
6. Jos Buttler (wk)
From being England’s underrated hero in the 2019 World Cup final and leading them to T20 World Cup glory not more than a year ago, Jos Buttler surely was the disappointment of the tournament as not only did he fail to do his duties as a captain, the 33-year-old had a tournament to forget as he scored just 138 runs at an average of 15.33.
7. Shadab Khan
Being Pakistan’s primary all-rounder, Shadab Khan was given the responsibility to deliver for his side with the bat and the ball but to say that the 24-year-old failed to do that would be an understatement.
In six matches played and five innings, he could only score 121 runs with the bat and only bagged two wickets with the ball.
8. Mark Wood
Coming into the World Cup while standing up for England in the Ashes 2023, Mark Wood was sure to do something big in the tournament but the speedster only bagged six wickets in seven matches while conceding 349 runs in 54 overs he bowled.
9. Mustafizur Rahman
One of Bangladesh’s most experienced pacers, Mustafizur Rahman was given the responsibility of leading his side’s pace attack but his awful display in the World Cup cast troubles for his side as he consistently failed to get wickets at crucial points and only managed to bag five wickets in eight matches while conceding 398 runs in 65.4 overs he bowled.
10. Maheesh Theekshana
Even though he had just returned from a hamstring injury he sustained in the Asia Cup 2023, Maheesh Theekshana was given the duty to perform with the new ball and take wickets in the middle overs for Sri Lanka but he failed to do both as the 23-year-old could only take six wickets while conceding 382 runs in 71.2 overs he bowled.
11. Haris Rauf
Haris Rauf took 15 wickets in the World Cup but don't let that distract you from the fact that the Rawalpindi-born wasn't at his best because he broke England's Adil Rashid's record of conceding the most runs (533) in a single edition of a mega event. He was expected to stop the flow of runs but the 30-year-old found himself helpless against the opposition.
Wasay Qayyum Wasay Qayyum is a sports journalist at Geo Super.