The league phase of World Cup 2019 has come to an end and the best four teams will currently sweat it out for the cricketing crown. The semifinals commence with India taking on New Zealand at Old Trafford, Manchester on Tuesday after which Australia meet England at Edgbaston, Birmingham on 11 July.
We have already witnessed some stunning performances in the league stage from the precise yorkers of Mitchell Starc to that front foot pull of Rohit Sharma; not to forget Shakib Al Hasan’s brilliance with both bat and ball.
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However, there have been a few disappointments too. Let us have a look at a couple of players who flopped in the league stages.
Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan had a nightmare of a tournament and so did Afghanistan. Although they defeated Pakistan in World Cup warm-up match which hyped up the expectations and the general feeling among the fans, they failed to deliver when it mattered the most.
The match against England is worth a mention. England skipper Eoin Morgan pummeled Rashid Khan, one of the great leg spinners in world cricket for 11 sixes as he ended up conceding 110 runs in his nine overs and did not even pick up a wicket.
The pitches in England exposed Rashid’s limitations as a bowler.
Hashim Amla
Hashim Amla had a forgettable World Cup for South Africa. He made 13 in the World Cup opener against England, six against India and another six against the West Indies. Against top teams and when his team needed him the most, Amla failed to produce any significant innings.
Overall he has in his account 203 runs from 7 matches largely due to his performances against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in matches that didn’t matter much since his team had already been knocked out of the tournament by then.