Cricket World Cup 2011 : Players Who Have Disappointed Us

This World Cup has been a mixed bag of some good performances and some shoddy ones too. The players who have lived upto their reputations are there to be seen. But there are a number of players who have badly disappointed us. Here’s a small list of such players :

a. Ricky Ponting : He has looked out of touch and failed to score even against minnows. Being the captain, he should be leading from the front. But his woeful form has been a dark spot in the otherwise fair performance of the team. He is lucky to be leading a good team, but if a player had to be chosen based on form then he would not have found a place in the team.

b. Yusuf Pathan : He came into the tournament with a huge reputation of hitting big sixes and of pulling the team out of tough situations, thanks to IPL. But that seems to have faded now. He has not been sent down the correct batting order, which could be one of the reasons why he is unable to perform. But I hope he fires in the next few matches else he will lose his place to Suresh Raina.

c. Harbhajan Singh : Where spinners like Dockrell and part-timers like Yuvraj have been able to make an impact in the game, Bhajji has been docile. Forget ‘doosra’, he is not even able to bowl the ‘pehla’, his off-spinners, correctly. Batsmen don’t fear his spin and are actually going after him. If India has to succeed, Bhajji has to pick 3 wickets or at least stem the run-flow in every match.

d. Kamran Akmal : There was a funny tweet/sms going around which read “Behind every successful batsman is Akmal keeping the wickets”. Such has been his form, totally lacklustre. He has missed stumping chances, run-outs and dropped easy catches like hot potatoes. He is in danger of losing his spot in the side, if he doesn’t pull up his socks.

e. Piyush Chawla : The man who took a 4 wikcet haul in the practise match against Australia and shut the mouth of his detractors has actually under-performed. He has not lived upto the expectation that he himself set. On the contrary, he has not been able to bowl a decent spell until now. He has gone for runs and not taken wickets too. I think Ashwin, who is waiting in the wings, ought to be given a chance over Chawla.

f. Mahela Jayawardene : The backbone of Sri Lankan middle-order is turning out spineless. Some bad shot selection and poor form has done him in. More was expected out of this Lankan, but he has not delivered.

g. Chris Gayle : This West Indian opener hasn’t fired yet. If he gets going, the opposition bowlers would seek mercy, but that hasn’t happened yet. More is expected of him in the coming matches.

h. James Anderson : The pace attack of England has proven to be inocuous, reason being that Anderson is not in top form. He looks tired in his run up and is unable to gather pace. England can win only if Anderson runs through the top order of any batting attack or at least wind-up the tail with his quickies. His inability to do so has harmed England.

i. Odoyo & Obuya brothers : In the last edition of the World Cup, Kenya looked like a weak team on the verge of metamorphosis into a strong and resilient team. But the failure of these players, along with Tikolo, has lost matches and respect for the blossoming Kenyan team.

j. Brendon McCullum : The once formidable batting line-up of New Zealand is now looking shaky. The top and middle-order is not playing to its potential. And McCullum, the man who holds the key to binding top and middle-order, seems listless. His strike rotation and lustly blows are being missed this time around.

There are a few more players who have disappointed us, but expectation from the above players was more than from the others. I just hope they get back in form and perform well in future.

This post was first published on Yahoo Network