Best unpicked World Cup XI ft. Dhawan, Tamim & Mathews

With the squads for all the 10 teams at the ICC World Cup 2023 sealed after last minute changes, we take a look at the best XI among players who were not picked for the marquee event.

NOTE: Only those who have played ODIs since 2022 and are injury-free were considered. 

Shikhar Dhawan (Captain, India)There’s little doubt about Shikhar Dhawan’s ability to perform on the big stage. His record is nothing short of enviable. In the 20 innings he has played across all ICC events (ODI), the southpaw has slammed 1,238 runs at 65.15, along with a strike-rate of 98.25, which includes six tons and four fifties. During this period, India won the Champions Trophy 2013 - the last time they won an ICC trophy. However, his returns in ODIs since 2022 have not been the best and add to that the emergence of Shubman Gill at the top, Dhawan found it tough to retain his place in the XI.

Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh)

Will he? Won’t he? Will he, won’t he? That was the question pertaining to Tamim Iqbal ahead of the World Cup. While he returned to ODI cricket after recovering from his back injury, the former Bangladesh captain was not picked for the World Cup as he had allegedly refused to bat in the middle-order and informed the board that he would be fit to play only a handful of matches.

The southpaw had retired from international cricket ahead of the World Cup, only for the Prime Minister to interfere and get him to reverse his decision. Newly-appointed captain Shakib Al Hasan too termed him “childish” and “not a team man” after Tamim had alleged that the BCB tried to put many roadblocks in his way. The left-hander has over 8,000 ODI runs for Bangladesh and only time will tell if not picking a half-fit Tamim was the right call or not.

Janneman Malan (South Africa)

Janneman Malan had a stellar 2021 that saw him score two tons and as many fifties. But fast forward to 2022, Malan, who was primed to make the opening spot his own, fell out of favour, scoring just 297 runs at 24.75, including a couple of fifties.

Despite an off-year, his ODI numbers are still quite good. But with Temba Bavuma opening the batting, allowing the Proteas to add further depth, an out-of-form Malan had to miss out. Just last year, Malan won the CSA ODI Player of the Year, and a year later, he does not even find himself in the top 15 or 17 players for the World Cup.

Dinesh Chandimal (Sri Lanka)

For someone who bats in the top five, a batting average of just 31 is not going to be good enough to get you into the national side. Dinesh Chandimal has not been in the scheme of things for Sri Lanka for nearly a year, with the likes of Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama and Dhananjaya de Silva preferred as the first-choice middle-order batters.

In ODIs since 2022, Chandimal has scored just 268 runs at 22.33 to go with a strike-rate of 73.22, making the decision to axe him all the more easy. It is unlikely that the 33-year-old will add to his three World Cup appearances.

Sanju Samson (WK, India)Sanju Samson will go down as one of the unluckiest cricketers. He has always been on the fringes, has a solid IPL, does well in limited opportunities and yet, there’s no assurance of him being available for the next game. He averages over 55 and strikes at 104 in ODIs - which are significantly better than someone like Suryakumar Yadav, and yet the Mumbai batter seems to be ahead in the pecking order.

The fact that SKY is near-invincible in T20Is perhaps gives him the edge. As unfair as that sounds, that has been the case in this Sanju vs Surya debate.

Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka)

One of the mainstays of Sri Lanka Cricket, Angelo Mathews, has been resigned to more of a fringe player. Multiple injuries over the years have hampered the former Sri Lankan captain from realizing his true potential over the last 4-5 years. He has played only a handful of ODIs since 2020 and his scores of 5, 1, 12, 5, 18, 0 and 12 have been far from ideal. Moreover, he has bowled just 20 overs across ODIs since 2018, further denting his chances of making it to the squad for the World Cup.

Mathews did well in the recently-concluded Lanka Premier League (LPL), in which he scored 210 runs at a strike-rate of 133.75 and chipped in with seven wickets with the ball. But given his history with injuries, Sri Lanka were perhaps skeptical about including the 36-year-old in a squad that has already been hit by several injuries. 

To his credit, Mathews is just one of 10 Sri Lankan players to have hit over 5,000 runs in ODIs and also pick 120 wickets. Have we seen the last of the veteran, at least in ODI cricket?

Faheem Ashraf (Pakistan)

Pakistan have ditched the idea of going into the World Cup with a genuine fast-bowling all-rounder, and as a result, Faheem Ashraf missed out. Ashraf usually made it to the XI if the surface had some extra zip. Given that the matches will be played in India, Pakistan have preferred to go in with an extra frontline spinner in Usama Mir instead of Ashraf, who did very little of significance in the opportunities he got in the Asia Cup.

While he tends to give the side a bit of balance, Ashraf has underwhelming numbers in ODIs, having scored at an average of under 11. With the ball, that number shoots up to 46.30.

Gulbadin Naib (Afghanistan)

The man who led Afghanistan in the 2019 World Cup, Gulbadin Naib, finds no place in the team four years on. However, the silver lining for the all-rounder is that he has been named in the reserves and can still spring into action in case of an injury to one of the 15. Naib had done everything he could to ensure that he was included in the squad, especially in the Asia Cup where he was Afghanistan’s best performer with the ball, picking up five wickets at 23.60.

He made his ODI return earlier this year against Pakistan in the UAE, but the inclusion of Azmatullah Omarzai and Naveen-ul-Haq after a span of two years ensued that Naib could not be included.

Washington Sundar (India)

While Washington Sundar was rushed to play the Asia Cup final, it seems as though Ravichandran Ashwin was always ahead of him in the pecking order, given the experience the all-rounder brings to the table. Ashwin was at his wily best in the ODIs against Australia, where David Warner even batted right-handed to counter his spin. Sundar made a few vital contributions in the Deodhar Trophy, where he helped South Zone to the title. He scored at an average of 21 with the bat and with the ball, he picked up eight wickets at an economy rate of just under four.

The 24-year-old could still have a role to play in the T20 World Cup next year, but as far as his 50-over World Cup aspirations go, it has been put on hold at least for another four years.

Yuzvendra Chahal (India)Yuzvendra Chahal was one of India’s main bowlers for a good 3-4 years after the Champions Trophy 2017, and along with Kuldeep Yadav, wreaked havoc everywhere he went, be it India, England, Australia or even South Africa. While the latter continues to be part of the set-up after many ups and downs, Chahal has become a fringe player for India, whose opportunities remain limited. He did not make the squad for the Asia Cup and consequently missed out on the World Cup squad.

Along with Kuldeep, the Rohit Sharma-led side either plays Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel, who can also score vital runs down the order with the bat, which is something Chahal does not offer. With additional options in Washington Sundar or even Ravichandran Ashwin, who offers similar skillsets, Chahal went further back in the pecking order.

Prasidh Krishna (India)

Prasidh Krishna may have missed out on a place in the World Cup, but there’s little doubt that he will be a regular member of the XI in the next 3-4 years. Injuries of late have hampered the pacer from playing regularly, but with him being fully fit now, he is surely next in line if one of the fast bowlers were to pick up a niggle in the World Cup.

Prasidh has 29 wickets from 17 ODIs at a strike-rate of 27.3 and has already picked up a four-wicket haul twice in this short span. Among Indian bowlers who have taken at least 25 wickets since Prasidh’s debut, only Mohammed Siraj (23.5) and Shardul Thakur (26.1) have struck at more regular intervals. 

An out-and-out pacer, he could be looked at as a long-term option to partner Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Another good domestic season for Karnataka and for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL could just be what Prasidh needs to seal the deal. 

Best unpicked XI for World Cup: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Tamim Iqbal, Janneman Malan, Dinesh Chandimal, Sanju Samson (wk), Angelo Mathews, Faheem Ashraf, Gulbadin Naib, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna