Flop Test XI of the Year 2021

The first cycle of the World Test Championship concluded in 2021, with New Zealand finishing winners. In June 2021, New Zealand and India battled it out at Southampton, with New Zealand emerging victorious on the reserve day. The Kiwis won their first ICC title thanks to a fantastic effort by the entire team, especially skipper Kane Williamson. Sri Lanka and Australia are leading the table charts in the second cycle of the WTC. While some players performed admirably and led their teams to victories, others simply couldn’t find a way to contribute. In this article, let’s look at the flop Test XI who failed to make an impression in the year 2021: 1. Dominic Sibley Dominic Sibley. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The right-handed English batter was dubbed the ‘Wall of English Cricket’ at one point. He was England’s one of the most successful batters in Test matches in the year 2020. His deterioration, though, has been unreal in 2021. He hasn’t looked good with the bat and was eventually dropped from the Ashes squad. Dom Sibley got off to a good start this year with a brilliant 87-run innings against India. His innings helped England to script a historic win against the strongest Test side in the world. His form deteriorated after that innings, and he was unable to score runs in the subcontinent. He was reprimanded for playing too slowly during the home series against New Zealand. His innings of 60*(207) earned England a draw in a match where they might have won. He was also dropped after two Tests in the home series against India, where he returned with average scores. With only three fifties to his credit, Sibley scored 355 runs at a dismal 19.7 average. 2. Marcus Harris Marcus Harris. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images) Marcus Harris had an ordinary year in 2021, despite his small sample size. In 2021, Australia only played five Tests against India and England. Marcus Harris appeared in majority of the games but had mediocre statistics for a player of his stature. When India visited Australia in 2021, Marcus was termed as a ‘walking wicket’. India won a major series despite missing most of their regulars due to injuries. Harris scored just 43 runs in the solitary innings he played. In the Ashes series against England, the 28-year-old never appeared in great form, hitting just 38 runs in two Tests. In the Boxing Day Test, though, he hit a stunning 76 to help his team take an early lead in the first innings. Marcus Harris only managed 157 runs in 7 innings, a pitiful 26.2 average, and a solitary fifty. 3. Zak Crawley Zak Crawley. (Photo by Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images) Crawley was England’s top batter in 2020, scoring 580 runs at a staggering average of 52.7. He made the number three place his own with a magnificent double century against Pakistan. However, he went through one of the most difficult periods of his career the subsequent year. This year, Crawley looked horribly out of sorts. He was used in both the opening and number three positions and never seemed to find a comfortable spot. He went in and out of the team, primarily as a substitution, resulting in a bad run of form. With an average of 10.8, the tall right-handed batter scored just 172 runs in 16 innings. Throughout the year, he only had one fifty. Due to his awful series of low scores, he was constantly scrutinised and chastised by the fans. 4. Ross Taylor Ross Taylor. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images) Despite winning the inaugural World Test Championship, New Zealand’s legendary batter Ross Taylor was woefully out of form. His bad play was largely masked by his teammates’ outstanding efforts. He never seemed to be in touch, and his technical flaws were exposed during New Zealand’s tour of India. His best innings came against India in the World Test Championship Finals, when he made a crucial 47 runs in the second innings to lead New Zealand to their first ICC title. Apart from that innings, he has been putting together a long stretch of low scores. He only made 127 runs in two Test matches against England in the series. His technical deficiencies against left-arm spinners were readily exposed during his disastrous tour of India. In two Test matches, he only managed to score 20 runs. He only scored 213 runs in 10 innings in 2021, with a below-average 23.7. With the highest score of 80, he had a solitary fifty to his name. The team expected a lot more from him as a senior legendary batter, and he clearly couldn’t meet the expectations. 5. Ajinkya Rahane (Captain) Ajinkya Rahane. (Photo Source: BCCI) In the year 2021, the former vice-captain of India, Ajinkya Rahane, had a major drop in form. After a famous century in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, he looked completely out of sorts in the following two Tests, scoring just 87 runs in two Tests. His bad form continued in the home series against England, with only one fifty in Chennai. He never looked in touch during the World Test Championship Finals. After that, he had a horrendous tour of England, when he only managed to score 107 runs in nine innings at a dreadful average of 15.5. His woeful form continued against New Zealand in the home series, and he was dropped from the second Test. He was in the poorest form of his career this year, scoring only 451 runs at a dreadful 21.7 average. With his poor form, he was stripped off his vice-captaincy duties and his future remains uncertain regarding his spot in the Playing XI for India. 6. Jos Buttler (wk) Jos Buttler. (Photo by Jason O’Brien/PA Images via Getty Images) Jos Buttler, the star batter from England continued a dream run in the limited over formats. However, he was unable to adapt his form into the game’s longer format. His batting average was below par, and his wicket-keeping was atrocious. He endured a tough time donning the Whites for England. Buttler was in and out of the team because of injuries and England’s rotation procedures. This policy prevented him from settling into a specific position. Both at home and abroad, his performance was lacklustre. He only played two Tests in the home series against India and underperformed horribly. He was considered to be a ‘walking wicket’ by the experts. His struggles continued in the Ashes, with a string of low scores. He attempted to alter his approach by becoming more aggressive, which resulted in him making rash shots against the flow of play. With a solitary fifty, Buttler scored 348 runs at a below-par average of 24.9. His wicket-keeping suffered as a result of his batting, as he continued to drop sitters behind the stumps. 7. Wiaan Mulder Wiaan Mulder of South Africa. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images/Getty Images) The all-rounder from South Africa is considered a part of their bright future. In the current year, though, his results have deteriorated. He hasn’t been able to help the Proteas score runs or take wickets, and he has largely made errors in line and length. Mulder only took eight wickets in nine innings over the course of the year. His job was to hold one end so that South Africa’s powerful pace battery could attack from the other. He was unable to control the run-flow, allowing the opponents to break free from the pressure. On the batting front, he was more poor contributing just 93 runs in six innings. He scored a dismal average of 15.5 and a maximum score of only 33. A player who is regarded as the rainbow nation’s next big thing has such poor returns which makes it extremely difficult for the team to win Test matches. 8. Sam Curran Sam Curran. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images) The left-handed all-rounder from England troubled India both with the bat and ball when they last time toured the country. He was the difference between the two sides. Because of his contributions, England managed to beat India by a comprehensive margin. He was, however, the least effective of all the bowlers when India visited England this year. He made significant errors in line and length, spraying the ball down leg, making it easier for batters to target. Rohit Sharma made him his target and attempted to attack him in order to force him to change his line of attack. In nine innings, he only took six wickets at a truly awful average of 58.7. He didn’t contribute down the order and was quickly getting out without much scores. In Lords, he recorded a ‘King Pair,’ which is an infamous achievement for any player to have. With an abysmal average of 14.5, he scored 87 runs in seven innings. A player who boasts of such supreme qualities, has been disappointing to watch in this year. 9. Yasir Shah Yasir Shah. (Photo Source: Twitter) The experienced leg-spinner from Pakistan endured a difficult 2021 in Test Cricket. His poor performance with the ball led to his expulsion from Pakistan’s Test team. His performances have been abysmal over the last three years, forcing Pakistan to look for alternatives. Also, his age doesn’t guarantee much confidence in terms of his bowling. In all of his games this year, Yasir has been rather ordinary. An average of 37.8 is never a good sight for any Test bowler. The batters were able to exploit his variations and milk him for runs. His wicket-taking ability has deteriorated, and he may no longer be able to represent Pakistan. This year, he took eight wickets in six innings. The 35-year-old Yasir Shah was also known for scoring handy runs at the bottom of the order with the bat. However, he has only 73 runs in five innings this season, with an 18.7 batting average. With his skill set being weakened, he may find it difficult to make a comeback in this Pakistani team. 10. Stuart Broad Stuart Broad and Babar Azam. (Photo by Stu Forster / POOL / AFP) Stuart Broad, a tall fast bowler who is a Test legend, has been in and out of the England team this year. Despite getting plenty of wickets in the past, his form has recently deteriorated. He has also been a victim of England’s management’s rotation philosophy, which has prevented him from settling down. The 35-year-old has a lot of experience in the International format, with 526 wickets to his name. Even in adverse conditions, he has the capacity to create match-winning spells. He was, however, not on England’s radar because he was rotated to manage his workload. In 13 innings, he took only twelve wickets at an unacceptably high average of 39.5. A player of his stature was never allowed to settle down, and his rhythm was all over the place. He had flashes of brilliance, but he never seemed like he was going to throw a match-winning spell. With age not on his side, he needs to produce better performances in whatever limited opportunities he gets. 11. Shannon Gabriel Shannon Gabriel. (Photo Source: Twitter) Shannon Gabriel has been the spearhead of West Indian pace battery for a long time. However, following a stellar season in 2018, he has been scrutinised for his Test performance. His form has deteriorated at an alarming rate, and he has been unable to translate his promise into results. Gabriel bowls with just the proper amount of pace and makes the most of his height. His control percentage, on the other hand, hasn’t been up to par, which has contributed to his downfall. Since 2019, his form has deteriorated, and it is becoming worse with each passing year. Gabriel only took eleven wickets in twelve innings, with a poor average of 46.8. His economy rate was also on the higher side, i.e., 3.34, which suggested that he has been leaking runs as well. With a dismal strike rate of 84.2, he failed to notch up a four-wicket haul during the season. With his dropping form, he’ll have a hard time keeping his spot in the West Indian side for the foreseeable future.

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Flop Test XI of the Year 2021

The below-mentioned couldn't couldn't deliver in whites despite having loads of potential.

3. Zak Crawley

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