Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Flop Playing XI of the Tournament

The 2024 Women's T20 World Cup has ended on a high note, with New Zealand being the triumphant side as they got their hands on its first-ever tournament title. This league has seen the clash of the best ten teams across the women's cricket ecosystem.

But, this edition has seen some shocking, unpleasing performances from those campaigners who have been promising in the long run. After a dismal streak of game display, here's the Flop Playing XI of the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup. 

1.Smriti Mandhana (India)

Smriti Mandhana, the flamboyant left-handed opener from India, had a forgettable tournament. After leading the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad to their first Women's Premier League title, many expected she could apply the same calibre in this intense tournament. But scoring a mere 75 runs in four innings with one half-century to her name, the No.5 batter wasn't up to the mark and was criticized for her timid approach throughout this forgettable T20 World Cup.

2. Chamari Athapathatu (Sri Lanka) 

Chamari Athapathatu was prominent in the recent timelines of the Women's Cricket forum. Leading her side to win the Women's T20 World Cup Qualifiers and the Asia Cup, everyone had higher expectations from her to perform aggressively with her bat and captaincy. She has made 27 runs in just four matches, which didn't help convert her heroic run in this tournament.

3. Harmanpreet Kaur (India) (Captain)

Though Harmanpreet Kaur has been pretty good with the willow and made some crucial runs by scoring 150 runs at an average of 150 in just four games, the Indian captain did display a disappointing stint as a captain. Primarily due to unclear decision-making, lack of communication and mediocre lead-up to the emerging players, which attributed Kaur to be the captain for this Flop Playing XI of the tournament.

4. Heather Knight (England)

Heather Knight was one of the players to check out from the English side, thanks to her associations with the team for quite a long period of time. Being a reliable all-rounder, she couldn't convert it into crucial runs and wickets during the recent tournament. Knight scored just 27 runs in four matches, summing up her poor outing in the competitive league.   

5. Jemimah Rodrigues (India)

Jemimah Rodrigues, another Indian player on the women's World Cup flop list, had a perplexing campaign in which her batting position was never established. She was shifted up and down the order throughout the tournament, scoring only 68 runs in 4 innings.

6. Marizanne Kapp (South Africa)

Marizanne Kapp had a dismal campaign with the bat and the ball as South Africa advanced to the final. Kapp scored just 90 runs in six innings. Prominent for her lethal and hostile pace, Kapp took just a mere five wickets in six games. Kapp's poor performance was a significant factor in South Africa's defeat in the final.

Also Read: Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Best Playing XI of the Tournament

7. Richa Ghosh (India) (Wicketkeeper)

Richa Ghosh was expected to perform admirably for India with the bat and behind the stumps, but she performed horribly. Her faulty record-keeping assured India's poor performance on the pitch. Ghosh only managed 19 runs with the bat in four innings.

8. Fahima Khatun (Bangladesh)

Fahima Khatun from the Bangladesh side was expected to turn the tables with her spinning ability, but it didn't work in her arsenal's way. She was able to have four wickets on her hat in five matches, with a decent spinner's economy of over six.

9. Deepti Sharma (India)

Indian All-Rounder Deepti Sharma also disappointed fans with her performance, scoring only a bleak 49 runs in four games. In the critical encounters, Deepti wasn't up to the mark and didn't prove to be instrumental in such scenarios. She wasn't very appealing with her spinning abilities, as she took just four wickets in four games.

10. Rachel Slater (Scotland)

During the Women's T20 World Cup Qualifiers, Scotland's quickie, Rachel Slater, was meant to be promising, as she was the highest wicket-taker of that league. But, on the game's main stage, she was disappointed with her pace as she scalped just two wickets in four matches.

11. Ayabonga Khaka (South Africa)

Ayabonga Khaka has been one of the most reliable pacers for the runners-up Proteas side in the long-run aspects. But, based on this tournament, she didn't play much of a pivotal role in changing the game for her side with her quick pace. Khaka was able to scalp a mere four wickets in six games, which doesn't act synonymous, keeping her experience in mind.