The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 came to an end with England becoming the Champions of the tournament with a 5-wicket win over Pakistan at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, MCG on 13 November 2022.
It was a remarkable tournament as pre-favourites Australia and South Africa were knocked out in the Super 12 stage. Virat Kohli emerged as the top run-getter with 296 runs from 6 matches including 4 half-centuries but could not Indian team to the final of the prestigious tournament.
Apart from good performances, many top-quality stars did not perform according to their stature in tough conditions to bat on. They struggled to lead their countries not winning the prestigious trophy.
Here we look at the 5 biggest flops of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
1. Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma struggled badly in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. He could not provide brilliant starts to the tournament during any matches. The Indian captain looked out of sorts in the opening match against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 23. Chasing down 160 runs to win, Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 4 runs caught by Ifkthitar Ahmed.
He returned to form with a well-made 53 off 39 balls against the Netherlands on October 27. After that performance, Rohit Sharma fell cheaply against South Africa on a pacy Optus Stadium pitch in Perth. He made 15 off 14 balls and was caught bowled by Ngidi.
Rohit Sharma then failed against Bangladesh scoring just 2 runs. His performance in the final Super 12 match against Zimbabwe was not great as he made 15 off 13 balls.
The Indian team could not provide any impetus to the team in the semi-finals against England. He failed to give any momentum with 27 off 28 balls. He made just 116 runs from 6 matches at an average of 19.33. His performance at the top of the order put pressure on Indian batting in the first six overs.
2. Glenn Maxwell
The explosive middle-order batter Glenn Maxwell was not up to the mark in entire tournament. Australia could not reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. Australia was hammered by 89 runs in the opening match against New Zealand in the Super 12 stage at SCG on November 22, 2022.
Chasing down 201 runs to win, Glenn Maxwell was the top scorer for Australia with 28 runs off 22 balls. Maxwell played a quickfire cameo with 23 off 12 balls against Sri Lanka at Optus Stadium, Perth on October 25.
He was dismissed against Ireland making 13 off 8 balls against Ireland on October 31 in Gabba, Brisbane. Maxwell made a match-winning unbeaten 54 off 32 balls against Afghanistan on November 4 in Adelaide. He made a total of 118 runs from 4 matches at an average of 39.33.
Australia’s match against England at MCG was abandoned without a bowl being bowled. Maxwell could not dominate the opponent’s bowling. As a result of his performances, Australia failed to reach the top four stage.
3. Babar Azam
Pakistan captain Babar Azam struggled badly in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Babar was dismissed without opening his account against India in their first Super 12 match.
He then failed to give another good start in their second match against Zimbabwe. Chasing down 131 runs to win, Babar Azam made just 4 runs. Babar was dismissed cheaply again in third successive match against the Netherlands at Optus Stadium, Perth on October 30. He made 4 and was run out by Merwe.
Babar Azam struggled against South Africa to make 6 runs off 15 balls. Despite his struggle, Pakistan won the match easily. The Pakistani captain Babar Azam looked out of sorts in the final Super 12 match against Bangladesh played on November 6, 2022, with 25 off 33 balls.
The Pakistani captain led from the front in the semi-finals against New Zealand. He was dropped by Devon Conway early before taking advantage. Chasing down 153 runs to win, Babar made 53 off 42 balls with 7 boundaries. He added 105 runs for the opening wicket along with Mohammad Rizwan.
He struggled badly against England in the finals played at MCG on 13 November. Babar looked out of sorts with 32 runs off 28 balls. The Pakistan captain made 124 runs from 7 matches with 1 half-century to his name with an average of 17.71.
4. Kagiso Rabada
South African speedster Kagiso Rabada had a dreadful T20 World Cup 2022. The South African team could not qualify for the semi-finals of the prestigious tournament after an impressive start.
Rabada struggled badly in the opening Super 12 match against Zimbabwe at Belivere Oval, Hobart on October 24, 2022. With the match reduced to 9 overs side, Rabada went for 20 runs in his 2 overs.
South Africa registered comprehensive 105 runs win over Bangladesh in their 2nd Super 12 match played on October 27, 2022. Rabada picked up 1 wicket giving away 24 runs from 3 overs.
Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, and Anrich Nortje performed brilliantly against India. Rabada struggled with his rhythm giving away 26 runs from 4 overs without taking any wickets at an economy of 6.50 runs per over.
Rabada was hammered for 44 runs in his 4 overs picking away 1 wicket against Pakistan at Sydney Cricket Ground on November 3. He grabbed the wicket of well-set Ifkthitar Ahmed in death overs.
Rabada could not provide any wickets in or die match against the Netherlands. He gave away 37 runs from 3 of his overs at an economy of 12.33. The South African pace bowler grabbed only 2 wickets in the entire tournament.
5. Mitchell Starc
The left-arm pace bowler, Mitchell Starc struggled badly in the entire T20 World Cup for Australia. He was taken to the cleaners by opponent batters. Starc could not provide early breakthroughs in the opening Super 12 match against New Zealand.
Starc did not take any wickets giving away 36 runs in his 4 overs. It was a disappointing bowling effort by the speedster. His performance could not make as expectations as Finn Allen smashed him in his first over.
He bowled decently against Sri Lanka at Optus Stadium, Perth. Starc was bowled one change, did a decent job with 1 wicket from his 4 overs giving away 23 runs. His only wicket was Bhaunka Rajapaksa.
After picking 2 quick wickets of Curtis Campher and Geroge Dockrell, Starc was hammered by Lorcan Tucker. He ended with figures of 2 for 43 in 4 overs going with an economy of 10.75 runs per over.
He did not feature in the match against Afghanistan. The match against England was abandoned due to rain. His performance did not meet expectations as he grabbed 3 wickets from 3 matches. Starc could not provide early breakthroughs but was made to struggle against different batters.
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