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World Cup 2019: 4 high-profile openers who flopped miserably at this tournament

Sri Lanka v South Africa - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

The 2019 World Cup ended in a nail-biting finish between England and New Zealand in the super over. Overall, we witnessed several low-scoring and competitive games in this tournament, which kept the fans on the edge of their seats.

Due to the overcast conditions in several matches, the openers had to play the new ball cautiously and slowly built up their innings. There were several openers like Rohit Sharma, Jason Roy, and Aaron Finch who succeeded in doing so and hence scored valuable runs for their sides throughout the tournament. 

On the other hand, the other openers unable to adapt to the conditions, played the new ball tentatively and henced failed to contribute for their teams in several matches. Let us have a look at the 4 quality openers who flopped miserably in this tournament.

#4 Hashim Amla

Hashim Amla's form was one of the most significant factors for South Africa's poor performance at the 2019 World Cup. Being the senior-most member of the team, Amla failed miserably with the bat as he was unable to give decent starts and build a platform for his team to put pressure on the opposition bowlers. He was tentative to the deliveries pitched outside his off-stump in all the matches he played and hence provided a perfect opportunity for the opposition bowlers to get rid of him easily.

Having scored 8113 runs in his ODI career, Amla managed to score just 203 runs in 7 matches in the tournament. Hence, his figures reflect that he flopped miserably and failed to help South Africa get a place in the semi-finals.

#3 Tamim Iqbal

Bangladesh v Afghanistan - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019
Bangladesh v Afghanistan - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Tamim Iqbal's poor performance with the bat at the 2019 World Cup was a letdown for Bangladesh. Being regarded as a highly rated and aggressive opener, Iqbal was unable to provide any meaningful contribution at the top to help the in-form Shakib al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim in crucial matches in the tournament.

In 8 matches, Tamim managed to score just 235 runs at a low average of 29.38 and strike rate of 71.65. He was able to score only one fifty in the tournament.

Also read – Most runs for tenth wicket in world cup

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