3 bowlers who came into the 2023 World Cup in excellent form but had a disappointing run
The 2023 World Cup, which featured a number of notable performances in the bowling department, is slowly fading away from memory. International cricket has already begun, with India currently facing off against Australia in a five-match T20I series.
Several bowlers enjoyed the conditions in India to come up with prolific returns. Mohammed Shami finished as the highest wicket-taker in the competition with 24 scalps, while most of his teammates, including Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, impressed as well.
At the same time, however, a few big names couldn't live up to their billing during the World Cup. Even though they seemed to be in good rhythm ahead of the competition, they couldn't step up and replicate those performances on the big stage.
Here are three bowlers who came into the 2023 World Cup in excellent form but had a disappointing run in the marquee tournament.
#3 Haris Rauf
Haris Rauf entered the 2023 World Cup as Pakistan's best ODI powerplay bowler in the calendar year, even posting better numbers than Shaheen Shah Afridi. However, his campaign in the tournament went horribly wrong.
Rauf was carted around the park in almost all of Pakistan's matches and finished with an average of 33.31 and a woeful economy rate of 6.75. He was decent at the death and picked up 16 wickets courtesy of some reverse swing, but his lack of threat up top seriously hampered his team's fortunes.
Rauf was one of the world's best ODI bowlers heading into the World Cup. He put together an an excellent campaign in the Asia Cup, which was preceded by promising displays against Afghanistan and New Zealand.
However, with Rauf failing and without Naseem Shah, the Men in Green struggled to put their bowling attack together and were eliminated in the group stage.
#2 Trent Boult
![Trent Boult [right] wasn't at his best in the quadrennial tournament](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/11/7be70-17009025745997-1920.jpg)
After rejecting a central contract, Trent Boult wasn't always in New Zealand's ODI picture ahead of the 2023 World Cup. However, he was perched close to the top of the ICC bowling rankings for a considerable while and came up with sensational displays in any assignments he participated in.
Boult averaged 15 or fewer in three of the four series he played ahead of the tournament, and two of those three were against quality sides in Australia and England. However, things didn't go to plan in the ICC event, with just 14 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 36.00 and an economy rate of 5.53.
New Zealand were beaten by India in the first semifinal, and Boult's fortunes were in sharp contrast to what transpired in the 2019 final-four clash between the same sides.
#1 Mohammed Siraj
![Mohammed Siraj [right] was left disappointed after India's heartbreaking defeat](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/11/65973-17009026063664-1920.jpg)
Another player who was close to the top of the ICC ODI bowling ranks for a good portion of the calendar year, Mohammed Siraj wasn't at his lethal best during the World Cup. He had an excellent 2022 as well, finishing as his side's leading wicket-taker in the format, but struggled with consistency when it mattered.
Siraj ended up with just 14 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 33.5 and an economy rate of 5.68. He was comfortably outbowled by Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, and even lost new-ball privileges to the former in the summit clash against Australia.
To put that into context, Siraj averaged more than 22 only once in the five series he played ahead of the World Cup and under 13 in three of them. His economy rate was very impressive, too.