There are a number of world-class players in all the eight teams of the upcoming Champions Trophy, which will start from Thursday.
It gives all these players a chance to showcase their skills in one of the biggest stages of world cricket, but then not all of them are going to excel, there are bound to be some failures. It may not only be about their skills but could also boil down to pressure in crunch situations.
Here is a list of cricketers, who could be a Champions Trophy flop. Take the words 'could be' very seriously.
One player has been taken from all the eight teams.
India – Rohit Sharma
The India opener has been out of action since last October due to injury, and he only made a comeback in the IPL, but he looked a bit shaky at times. With the conditions in England helping the bowlers, who can make the ball talk, he could face some problems in the competition. He has had his share of problems in swinging conditions.
Sri Lanka – Thisara Perera
The all-rounder has always shown promise, but he has not been able to replicate that skill for Sri Lanka on a regular basis. And with tough teams in their group like India, Pakistan and South Africa, the all-rounder might be one of the biggest disappointments.
South Africa – David Miller
He can hit the ball a long way, better than most, but he was not in the best of form in the IPL as well, resulting in him getting benched. With South Africa having lost to England recently, there will be pressure on all the Proteas' big guns, and he is definitely one of them.
Pakistan – Sarfaraz Ahmed
The class is always there, but one is not sure if he will be able to do so many things at once, keep wickets, lead the team, make field placements and score runs in such a competitive group. He might just crumble if the pressure gets to him though he has been playing for Pakistan for some years now.
New Zealand – Mitchell Santner
Santner is expected to play as their number one spinner for New Zealand in the Champions Trophy, but the conditions will not assist him much, which could lead to his drawback. New Zealand have some quality fast bowlers, so other teams could target Santner during the middle overs.
Australia – Glenn Maxwell
He is a wonderful batsman, who just loves taking the attack to the bowlers, which might not necessarily work in England. Also, his form with the bat has not been too great, which could lead to problems in the Champions Trophy.
Bangladesh – Soumya Sarkar
The left-hander is a class act, but when players from the sub-continent feature in such bowler friendly conditions, they find it difficult to adjust. With the batsman not having featured in England for Bangladesh, it will be difficult when some top bowlers will be bowling to him in England.
England – Jason Roy
The England opener is their key player at the top, but his batting record has been dismal of late. He is short of confidence, which could hamper his performance in the Champions Trophy too.
