World Cup 2019: 3 players who have underperformed so far 

The ICC World Cup 2019 is in full swing, and some exciting, absorbing and intense cricket has been displayed already. Tournament favorites England, India and Australia have started strongly whereas Afghanistan and South Africa are still searching for their first win.

Star players such as Jos Buttler, Shikhar Dhawan, Steven Smith and Shakib Al Hasan have lit up the tournament with their pyrotechnics. But some star players have failed to live up to their billing and have underperformed.

To go all the way in the tournament a team needs equal contribution from all its players, which is why we might see a few players being dropped in the coming matches. Here, we look at three players who have underperformed so far in the tournament (only players who have played at least three matches have been considered).

#1 Hashim Amla

Over the last decade, Hashim Amla has been one of South Africa’s most consistent players. He has racked up runs against all opponents and in all conditions, and achieved several milestones in the process.

However, over the last two years the runs have dried up; it seems bowlers have found a way to outsmart him. Leading up to the World Cup, Amla was not part of the South African ODI unit but the selectors backed his experience and picked him ahead of Reeza Hendricks for the mega event.

Amla scored a fifty in the warm-up game but since then he has looked all at sea, especially against the fast bowlers. In the opening match against England, he was hit on the helmet by a Jofra Archer bouncer and had to miss the subsequent game against Bangladesh.

Against India, he was undone by Jasprit Bumrah’s pace and seam movement. And against West Indies, he was out fending a short ball from Sheldon Cottrell.

Clearly, at 36 years of age, Amla's reflexes seem to have slowed down which is causing him trouble against pace. One of South Africa’s greats has been a disappointment at this year’s World Cup so far.

Also see - IND vs PAK head to head stats

#2 Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis

Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis came into the tournament on the back of a great record. He was regarded as Australia's finisher along with Glenn Maxwell. Also, he was entrusted with the ball to fill in the fifth bowler's quota.

However, Stoinis hasn’t quite justified the all-rounder tag.

His dismissals against West Indies and India were tame, to say the least. After reviving the Australian innings against West Indies, he got out pulling a short of length ball straight to mid-wicket. Against India, his lack of footwork meant that was he was done in by Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s in-dipping ripper.

With the ball in hand, Stoinis has leaked runs at an economy rate of 6.22. There have been calls to drop him and go for a specialist batsman or bowler in his place; with the pressure mounting on Stoinis, his performance will be closely scrutinized going forw.

#3 Tamim Iqbal

Tamim Iqbal

Tamim Iqbal is another reputed player who hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations. Iqbal has failed to put up any score in excess of 25 in the three games that Bangladesh have played so far.

While his opening partner Soumya Sarkar flowered against South Africa, Iqbal failed to get off the blocks and managed just 16 runs off 29 balls before edging behind to Quinton de Kock. In the New Zealand game he was undone by Lockie Ferguson's acute back of a length delivery, whereas against England, pacer Mark Wood dismissed him for a sub-par score in the 11th over.

In three matches, Iqbal has managed to score only 59 runs at an underwhelming strike-rate of 61.28. With other Bangladeshi senior players such as Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim firing, Iqbal will need to rediscover his form to revive his team's campaign.