ICC Champions Trophy 2017: 5 reasons why teams have struggled in the middle overs

#5 No partnerships during the middle overs

Shakib and Mahmudullah had a brilliant partnership to knock out New Zealand

Partnerships are the backbone to any big innings in the absence of which batting teams tend to easily lose their way during the middle overs. On too many occasions, the lower middle orders of teams have struggled to establish themselves in face of opposition bowlers.

From Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan to Tamim Iqbal, Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli, the top three batsmen have dominated this tournament. But middle order batsmen have generally found it tough to get going when wickets are falling which has led to teams losing wickets in clusters during the crucial middle overs.

With the exception of Bangladesh’s mammoth, match-winning 224-run 5th wicket partnership between Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah against the Kiwis and the 159-run 4th wicket partnership between Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes, all 100-run partnerships in the tournament have come between the top three batsmen of each batting line-up.