Top 5 World Cup Underachievers: Part 1 - Bowlers
After compiling lists for World Cup (WC) specialists, it is time to look at the mirror image – players who faltered when playing on the greatest stage in cricket. Part 1 looks at the bowlers who could not achieve the potency they did in their other One Day International (ODI) engagements.Interestingly, two out of five bowlers on this list are from South Africa, and with two more Protea greats, Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini knocking at the door, it perhaps explains why the talented bunch has not yet won a WC, a failure normally associated with their batsmen ‘choking’.The methodology remains much the same as that used for identifying specialists, in order to maintain consistency:Minimum qualification: 250 wickets overallScore: This has been calculated by multiplying the three essential parameters a bowler is assessed upon – Average, Economy Rate (ER) and Strike Rate (SR). For example, a bowler with an average of 20, an ER of 4, and an SR of 40 will have a score of 20 x 4 x 40 = 3200. As with most statistics associated with bowling, lower the score, better is the performance.Greater the difference between their career scores and the WC scores, the higher will the bowler feature on this list.Do note that the focus is not on absolute WC performances, but relative to the bowler’s overall career.
#5 Shaun Pollock
Shaun Pollock burst onto the scene as a very promising all-rounder, and while his batting statistics may not do justice do the alleged talent he possessed, the right-hander ended up as the 5th highest wicket-taker in ODI history, with 393 scalps. He was, however, a bit of a let-down in WCs, with only his ER over the marquee tournament matching up to his impressive overall figures.
The right-hander plodded through most of his four WC appearances, a far cry from the strike-bowler status he maintained in other ODI engagements. His best showing in a Cup was as captain, in 2003, at home, when he appeared to be in rhythm throughout, picking up 8 wickets at an average of 21.5, before the Proteas’ disastrous campaign ended with a flabbergasting confusion regarding the Duckworth-Lewis par score in a must-win game against Sri Lanka, resulting in his sacking from the top job.
Towards the fag end of his career, Pollock’s pace dropped significantly, but he still managed to bowl nagging lengths to prise out wickets in regular ODI engagements, but found the going extremely tough when again confronted with the WC, this time the 2007 edition, finishing outside the top-25 wicket-takers in the tournament, to sign off with a whimper.
| Matches | Wickets | Average | ER | SR | Score | Score Differential | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 303 | 393 | 24.50 | 3.67 | 39.9 | 3587.6 | 2269.9 |
| WC | 31 | 71 | 31.29 | 3.60 | 52.0 | 5857.5 |