5 cricketers who disappointed in 2016

“Jab tak balla chal raha hai thaat chal raha hai, jab balla nahi chalega, toh…”(As long as the runs are coming, everything’s fun. When the runs don’t come…). The words might have been scripted, but Yuvraj Singh, mouthing these lines in a TV advertisement a few years ago perfectly describe the life of a cricketer, bathing in the limelight but uncertain about what will transpire once he’s done with it.

Form is different for everyone: for some, it might be a clear mind, for others it might be the ability to watch the cherry like a football. Then again, nothing can be more miserable than playing through a rough patch, a clogged mind and malfunctioning brain makes it difficult to make two and two equal four.

For the stars listed below, 2016 wasn’t the best year - not just because their numbers weren’t as impressive, but more so because they promised much more than they eventually delivered. Some might have been unlucky, others burdened with additional responsibilities. But somehow, these five players disappointed in 2016:

#5 Martin Guptill – Tests

Much like India’s Rohit Sharma, Martin Guptill is a limited-overs stalwart who has managed to look totally out of sorts in the longest format, despite playing close to fifty Tests. His average still hovers below 30 in the whites, much lower than his ODI and T20I numbers.

He had a horrendous series against India, salvaging only one 30+ score in six innings. In sixteen Test innings this year, he could get past fifty on only two occasions, averaging 24.56 with the bat. The situations compounds further because the Kiwi Test team, already running low on experience with the departure of Brendon McCullum, needs a relatively accomplished player to guide the youngsters.

He had a relatively better year in 2015, averaging over 33 and scoring a hundred and three fifties. However, fans are still hoping for him to repeat his limited-over deeds in the longest format.

#4 Amit Mishra – Tests

As if to fill in the massive void as quickly as possible, Amit Mishra was included in the Test team in the same series Anil Kumble decided to retire. Eight years on, Mishra hasn’t been able to clinch the spot left by Jumbo. Ravichandran Ashwin, who came much later, has evolved into India’s premier spinner. Ravindra Jadeja and Jayant Yadav fill up the remaining spots. The 34-year old has been left to rue what went wrong for him.

Out of around 80 Test matches India played since the retirement of Kumble, Mishra has featured in just 21. He’s got variation, he’s got turn and guile, but the results haven’t been for show. He looked off-colour in the series in the West Indies, didn’t feature in the Tests against New Zealand and got just two out of the five games against England . In all, he took 11 wickets in four Tests, which was in stark contrast to his ODI form, where he looked much more impressive, especially in the last ODI against the Kiwis.

#3 Aaron Finch – ODIs

The trough keeps getting deeper and deeper for Aaron Finch. He announced himself on the big stage with a whirlwind 156 against England in a T20I, a knock has been the highest score in T20 internationals ever since. Yet, his hit and miss approach is not working well in ODIs, even as his partner at the top, David Warner, has kept growing from strength to strength.

He started off the year on a high with a hundred against India at Canberra, but has been on a downslide ever since. Only one 20+ score in his last six innings shows that others have edged past him, pushing him lower down the pecking order. With the Champions Trophy not far away, Australia would want Finch to forget this year quickly.

#2 AB de Villiers – ODIs

De Villiers averaged 42.37 in ODIs this year. Not bad, right? Yet, the lofty standards that AB de Villiers has made for himself, he was expected to do much better than just two fifty-plus scores in 11 ODIs. 2015 was a watershed year for ABD: five centuries and five fifties, at an astonishing average of 79.53. Also included in that was the fastest hundred ever, a knock that flattened the West Indian team beyond repair.

Injuries proved to be another major hindrance to a year that could have turned into something entirely different, given that he was handed the captaincy and looked set to turn a new page in his career. Hopefully, 2017 turns out to be a lot better.

#1 Mahendra Singh Dhoni - ODIs and T20Is

He decided to quit the longest format on his own terms - but it doesn’t seem to be paying rich dividends as far as his form in the other two format is concerned. He looked rusty with the bat throughout the year, unable to connect the ball as cleanly as he is known to.

Even last over heroics seemed to have dried: the inability to finish matches in Australia, Zimbabwe and West Indies dented his reputation of being the game’s best finisher. His catching has also taken a beating, although his stumpings and run-outs have been as sharp as ever (the run-out against Bangladesh in the World T20 will be remembered for years).

As a batsman, Dhoni might want to loosen himself. The stress of anchoring the middle order might be taking a toll on his form. Going up the order might be one of the solutions.

One fifty in 13 ODIs in 2016, average of 27.80: Dhoni can surely do a lot better.

We do miss all of this: