11 Players who flopped in the year 2016

The year of 2016 was a year of spectacle for the cricket fans. Some serious cricket action unfolded across all three formats. The stars stole the limelight and the new ones bagged their opportunities with both hands. The youngsters did not let the break slip through their hands when it beckoned. Consider for example the bench strength of the Indian team. From Jayant Yadav to Karun Nair, all seized their day in style. The English stars, too, rose to the occasion in serious panache. Be it Keaton Jennings, Haseeb Hameed or Jake Ball. At the same time, some big players missed out on making the year count. The calendar year of 2016 witnessed a plethora of cricket action and thus served as an ideal chance for players to get their statistics straight. While some of them managed to make the most of it, the others failed to take the stronghold. Here is a list of players who missed out big time to be in the thick of the action in 2016. Check out the 11 players who couldn’t get their acts together in the year. 1. Martin Guptill Martin Guptill of New Zealand. (Photo by Pal Pillai/IDI via Getty Images) New Zealand opener Martin Guptill had a very low year compared to his outlandish standards. Guptill made the previous season his own with a string of high scores. However, the year of 2016 saw him dwindle as the time progressed. With just two centuries across all three formats in 35 matches, Guptill averaged a mere 36.73 this year. The World T20 in 2016 was expected to be a tournament where he would shine, but his failure at the top saw New Zealand struggle. His low scores on the India tour saw him dropped from the lineup of the Pakistan Test series. He started showing signs of good form towards the end of the year, which is surely a positive for the Black Caps. 2. Shikhar Dhawan Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan found it tough to maintain his slot in the team. His struggle continued all the year along. Barring a knock of 126 against Australia in an ODI earlier this year, the Delhi batsman failed to reach the three figures in any format of the game. He struggled in the World T20 and the string of low scores followed in the Test series against West Indies and New Zealand as well. An injury towards the end of the year only made it worse for the southpaw. In the 23 matches that he played this year, he scored just 744 runs at an average of 32.34. If Dhawan’s poor run continues in 2017, he might well be replaced by the youngsters waiting in the wings. 3. Tillakaratne Dilshan Sri Lankan cricketer Tillakaratne Dilshan (C) receives a farewell from the crowd. (Photo by ISHARA S.KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images) Former Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan hung his boots from international cricket this year. However, the veteran cricketer could not end on a note as high as he would have liked. In the 19 matches that he played this year, he could manage to aggregate just 378 runs at a low average of 23.62. For a batsman of his calibre, it was only an underperformed outing this year that saw him score his topmost score of only 83. With no centuries to his name, the Sri Lankan team were desperately seen wanting for the comeback of the originator of the dil scoop shot. His bowling looked lackluster as well and could only pick 4 wickets in the 19 matches. 4. AB de Villiers AB de Villiers of South Africa. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) Former South African skipper had a forgettable year in the South African colors. AB is known for his big hitting abilities but could not light up the occasion in the World t20 in India earlier this year. However, he was spectacular with the bat for his IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore. When it came to the national side, he failed miserably. In the tri-series in West Indies, he could not contribute either. The year end saw him bow out of international action due to an injury and subsequently stepped down as the national captain. In 22 matches across three formats, he scored 664 runs at an average below 34 – which is very low as compared to his usual standards. He had only one score of over hundred in the calendar year of 2016. 5. Mashrafe Mortaza Bangladesh cricketer Mashrafe Mortaza. (Photo credit -/AFP/Getty Images) Bangladesh limited overs skipper Mashrafe Mortaza continued to struggle on the personal front. Albeit the national side worked really well to rise up the ranks and perform heavily at home, Mortaza’s performance was far from being impressive. He played a total of 24 matches in 2016 and scored only 151 runs at a lowly average of 10.06. One might argue that it was his bowling that spoke about his talent, but this does not stand valid either. In 24 matches, all he could manage was just 25 wickets. His average with the ball was also on the higher side. His only success came in a match against England where he scored 40-odd and picked up 4/29 to back it up. 6. Aaron Finch Aaron Finch (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) Australian opener Aaron Finch is known for his big hitting abilities. He is a formidable player in the top order with the likes of David Warner and Usman Khawaja. While Warner and Khawaja made merry this year in 2016, Finch failed to be in the big scores. Aaron Finch started off the year with a gritty ton against India. However, since then he failed to make a mark. In the 25 ODIs that he played this year, he scored just 655 runs at a low average of 28.47. In the T20s, he was not impressive either. With 218 runs in 7 outings, he averaged just over 36 in the shortest format of the game. He had a poor year compared to the high standards he set. 7. Ahmed Shehzad Ahmed Shehzad of Pakistan. (Photo by Vivek Prakash-IDI/Getty Images) Pakistani batsman Ahmed Shehzad lost his place in the side owing to a dismal run this year. A lot of was expected from him and he was being tipped as the baton carrier of the Pakistani team in the longer run. But a poor show in the Asia Cup and the World T20 saw him crash out of the national setup. Also, disciplinary issues added to his miseries. He played a total of 9 matches for Pakistan this year which included two ODI appearances and 7 T20I outings. In the 2 ODIs that he played, he could score just 25 runs with a best of 13. In the T20Is, he only had very little to boast about. The best score of 52 came against Bangladesh. In the 7 matches that he played, he scored a mere 141 runs at a low key average of just 20.14. 8. Soumya Sarkar Bangladesh cricketer Soumya Sarkar plays a shot. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images) Soumya Sarkar had emerged on the big stage as Bangladesh’s big hope in the batting department. But the 23-year old had a dismal outing in 2016. A poor run at the World T20 was followed by a string of poor performances for the national outfit thereafter. In the 20 matches that he played this year across the 3 formats, he failed to score a single fifty. Such precarious was the situation that towards the end of the year, the team head coach hinted at axing him from the squad. In the 20 matches that he played, he scored just 287 runs at a poor average of 14.72. His top score was a mere 48 this year. 9. Luke Ronchi New Zealand’s wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi. (Photo by MARTY MELVILLE/AFP/Getty Images) Luke Ronchi was being tipped as the next big thing in New Zealand cricket and a good long time solution to their wicket keeping conundrums. The way he had plundered 170 against Sri Lanka in an ODI last year had only strengthened their claim. But a poor 2016 followed for the former Australian national. He was given a lot of chances this year in all the three formats, including Tests against India. He showed grit and determination but the scores never reflected his efforts. In the cumulative 25 matches that he featured in, he could score on 400 runs with a best of 80. He averaged just about 19 in the combined three formats. With no centuries to boast about, he had to pave way for BJ Watling in the limited overs for a brief while this year. 10. Dale Steyn Dale Steyn of South Africa. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images) Dale Steyn seemed to have lost his charm this year. He was totally ineffective in the shorter formats of the game. Albeit he looked threatening in the Tests, the team expected him to come up good in limited overs in the T20 heavy schedule of 2016. Steyn bagged just 19 wickets in 2016, 11 of which came in 3 Tests and that too included a 5-wicket haul. In essence, he bagged 6 wickets across 5 innings apart from the five-wicket haul. In the 4 ODIs that he played, he could scalp just 5 wickets with a best of 2/65. The T20Is performance was worse. With just 3 wickets in four matches, he looked far from being impressive. 11. Sunil Narine West Indies cricketer Sunil Narine successfully appeals. (Photo by Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images) Spin wizard Sunil Narine had a very quiet year in 2016. No wonder why he finds himself in the list of flop players of 2016. Narine was instrumental in bundling out South Africa for 188 in an ODI during the tri-series. He picked up 6/27 in the match. However, barring that performance, he picked up just 9 wickets in 14 other matches that he played this year. He averaged as high as 38 with the ball. Surprisingly, in the 5 T20Is that he played this year, he went wicketless. All his 15 wickets of the year came in the ODIs.

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11 Players who flopped in the year 2016

6. Aaron Finch

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