ODI World Cup 2023: Team-wise players who might face the axe after the tournament

The ICC World Cup 2023 came to a glittering end in Ahmedabad on November 19, 2023, as Australia became the new World Champions, lifting the CWC trophy for the sixth time. They defeated hot favourites and hosts India in a lop-sided final at the Narendra Modi stadium by six wickets to become champions. It was a World Cup tournament filled with excitement and rich performances from players of all 10 teams. Some excelled with the bat, some with the ball, and a handful with both. But on the flipside, some players couldn’t step up when needed and their future in their national teams might be in danger. Therefore, we take a look at one player from each participating team in the World Cup 2023, who might face the axe post the tournament. Here are the Team-wise players who might face the axe after the ODI World Cup 2023: 1. AFG- Mohammad Nabi Mohammad Nabi. (Photo Source: Twitter) Mohammad Nabi is a bonafide legend of Afghanistan cricket. The 38-year-old has a brilliant record in international cricket and this was perhaps his final bow on the world stage in the ODI format. He managed 55 runs in 9 matches and picked 8 wickets for Afghanistan. He helped put pressure on Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan to do their jobs. But given his age, Afghanistan might want to move on from ODIs. 2. Sri Lanka- Kasun Rajitha Kasun Rajitha (Photo Source: Twitter) Kasun Rajitha was supposed to be the leader of Sri Lanka's pace attack in the absence of Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara in the World Cup. Then Matheesha Pathirana got injured and Rajitha’s role became more important. However, his performance didn’t match the expectations Sri Lanka had of him. Rajitha picked 8 wickets in 6 matches at an economy of 6.85 and an average of 42. With many other options to choose from, Rajitha might find himself out of the team going forward. 3. Bangladesh- Mushfiqur Rahim Mushfiqur Rahim. (Photo Source: X(Twitter) Mushfiqur Rahim has been a pillar for Bangladesh in international cricket. But it seems like the time has come for Bangladesh to move on from him. In the World Cup 2023, Rahim managed 202 runs in 9 games with 2 fifties at an average of 25.25 and a strike rate of 79.21. Gone are the days when he could finish matches and win games for Bangladesh and with new blood being injected into the team, time for the Tigers to look past Rahim. 4. Netherlands- Wesley Barresi Wesley Barresi (Photo Source: Twitter) Wesley Barresi was the odd man out for the Netherlands team in this ODI World Cup 2023. At 39, he was the only Dutch player who played in the 2011 World Cup, when the Netherlands last visited India for CWC. Then, he was a young and energetic wicketkeeper and a good batter. But in 2023, his batting faltered a lot and he was no longer keeping wickets. Given how well the Netherlands performed, it’s time to invest in young blood going forward for them. 5. England- Joe Root Joe Root (Photo Source: Twitter) Joe Root was a contentious pick in the England World Cup 2023 squad. His ODI numbers are impressive with 6522 runs in 171 matches with 16 centuries and an average of 47.60. But in the World Cup 2023, he could only muster 276 runs at an average of 30.66 and strike rate of 88.46 with 3 fifties to his name. Given how poorly England performed in the CWC 2023, the selectors will have a hard look at what direction they want to go in the future and is Joe Root is part of that new future. 6. Pakistan- Haris Rauf Haris Rauf. (Photo Source: X(Twitter) Haris Rauf earned the ignominy of giving away the most runs in one World Cup edition, as he was plundered for 533 runs in 9 games, while he took 16 wickets at an economy of 6.74. Rauf’s pace made it easy for batters to play their strokes on the batting-friendly surfaces in the tournament. Given how Haris Rauf, who is excellent in T20s, has performed in longer formats, and his unwillingness to play in said formats, Pakistan might want to try out other pacers going forward. 7. South Africa- Temba Bavuma Temba Bavuma. (Photo Source: Twitter) Temba Bavuma was brilliant as captain of the South African side in the entire ICC World Cup 2023. However, his performance as a batter suffered due to lack of form and his quad injury which hampered his movement. He only managed 145 runs in 8 games, the lowest of any captain in this tournament, at an average of 18.12. South Africa has a ready captain in Aiden Markram to take over in ODIs and T20Is, while there are better options than him as openers as well. Bavuma might not find himself in the ODI plans of South Africa going forward. 8. New Zealand- Jimmy Neesham Jimmy-Neesham. (Photo by Darrian Traynor-ICC/ICC via Getty Images) Jimmy Neesham played only 3 matches in the World Cup 2023 and made 58 runs, 47 of which came in a thriller against Australia. He struggled with form and injury and New Zealand opted for other options available in the team. Given that Neesham’s focus has also turned towards T20 leagues across the world, New Zealand might let go of him and invest in some other younger all-rounder. 9. Australia- David Warner David Warner. (Photo Source: X(Twitter) Now a two-time World Cup winner, David Warner has not confirmed anything about his white-ball career. He had an excellent ICC World Cup 2023, scoring 535 runs in 11 matches with 2 centuries and 2 fifties, and a best score of 163. But given that he is 37 years of age, and the notoriety of Cricket Australia for pushing out cricketers due to their age, Warner might find himself being replaced by a younger opener in ODIs going forward. 10. India- Ravichandran Ashwin Ravi Ashwin. (Photo Source: X(Twitter) Ravi Ashwin’s inclusion in the Indian World Cup 2023 squad raised quite a few eyebrows. He hadn’t played any ODI since January 2022 and hadn’t been involved in white-ball cricket since the T20 World Cup 2022. However, with Axar Patel being injured and the need for a right-arm off-spinner, Ashwin found himself in a World Cup squad once again. But he got to play only one match, against Australia at his home in Chennai, where he picked 1/34. After that, India stuck to Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav as spinners for the rest of the tournament. In the final, Ashwin’s absence hurt India a lot, given the pitch. However, given Ashwin’s age and the back issues he has dealt with, his days in white-ball cricket might have been numbered.

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ODI World Cup 2023: Team-wise players who might face the axe after the tournament

Team-wise players who might face the axe after the ODI World Cup 2023

7. South Africa- Temba Bavuma

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