With India defeating the Netherlands on Sunday, the league phase of the 2023 ODI World Cup has ended. India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand are the four teams that have progressed to the next stage. England and Pakistan are the two teams that surprisingly missed the semi-final berth. On that note, here, we take a look at the flop XI from the league stages of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Openers: Jonny Bairstow and Imam-ul-Haq
An aggressive batter, Bairstow somehow could not do well in the World Cup. This was one of the main reasons why England could not stamp their authority in the powerplay.
It was not long ago that Imam was at the top of the ICC ODI rankings. However, it was a disappointing tournament for him. He had to be dropped for the last few games of the tournament.
Middle-Order: Babar Azam (C), Joe Root and Jos Buttler (WK)
Babar Azam will lead this flop XI from the league stages of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Apart from his batting, Babar also failed as a captain. For a player operating in conditions that are close to his home, a better show was expected from Babar.
Joe Root is a superb player of spin and he also bowls some decent off-spin. He could not contribute well to his team. Buttler has a lot of experience playing in India. Yet, the English skipper found himself short of the mark in the tournament.
All-Rounders: Liam Livingstone, Shakib Al Hasan and Shadab Khan
Liam Livingstone had a clearly defined role in the team. He was not able to fulfil that well. This is despite him gaining decent experience of the Indian conditions recently.
Shakib is a World Cup legend. However, it was a bad tournament for him. Shadab Khan had to lead the Pakistan spin attack. However, he found himself out of the playing XI in the final stages of the league.
Bowlers: Chris Woakes, Haris Rauf and Mark Wood
The English bowlers dominate this flop XI from the league stages of the 2023 ODI World Cup. In the ODI format, Woakes is a great bowler. It could be the conditions but Woakes was very predictable throughout the tournament. Mark Wood has impressed in Indian conditions before but it was not his time in the 2023 ODI WC.
Haris Rauf had great expectations coming into the tournament. While he could not pick crucial wickets, he leaked plenty of runs, which disturbed the momentum for Pakistan in most games.
