Ashes 2019: The three worst performers from the series
Ashes 2019 will be immensely cherished in the coming years for the quality of cricket played and the unforgettable performances that were produced.
Fittingly, the series ended with a 2-2 scoreline but Australia retained the Ashes for the first time since 2001. Steve Smith’s Don Bradman-esque batting was evened out by a superhero effort from Ben Stokes at Headingley, who was England’s saviour throughout the series.
Jofra Archer’s pace provided a new dimension to England’s struggling bowling unit and his duel with Steve Smith at Lord’s was a sight to behold.
Despite all the individual heroics, there were a few terribly upsetting performances in the series. Except Rory Burns, the openers of both sides failed to occupy the crease for a long time, primarily due to the abundance of world class new ball bowlers.
David Warner’s struggles in English conditions continued while Jason Roy failed to replicate his white-ball form. Here are the top three worst performers in Ashes 2019,
#3 Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow has been a constant presence in England’s middle order for a while now, but his time is running out fast. However, since the start of January 2018, he has played 20 Test matches for the Three Lions and has averaged a meagre 25.91 during this period. In the same period, his numbers in England are surprisingly worse as he does not have a single century in 13 home games.
He registered single digit scores in both the innings of the opening Test and his only performance of note came in the second Test, when he scored a half century in the first innings.
But his tendency to drive at full length deliveries without any feet movement resulted in a lot of outside edges and he became a walking wicket towards the end of the series.
He finished the series with 214 runs in 10 games and the series could have drastic consequences for Bairstow's Test future, especially with Ollie Pope knocking on the door.
Also see – World Test Championship points table