Babar Azam In, Virat Kohli Out, Shubman Gill Features- Flop Test XI of 2023

The year 2023 witnessed Australia clinching the ICC Test Championship trophy after crushing India in the final. There were a few exciting series, which saw nail-biting encounters between opponents. Teams like Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe also played a few Test matches in 2023.

While many players enjoyed massive success in 2023, there were a few others to could not make a mark in the longest format. Their flop show also forced the team to drop them from the playing XI. In this listicle, we take a look at flop Test XI of 2023.

Flop Test XI of 2023

Shubman Gill

If we talk about openers, Shubman Gill was quite an unsuccessful batsman in Tests in 2023. While the right-handed batsman shattered many records in ODIs, his Test numbers were miserable. Across 10 innings, the Indian opener scored 258 runs at a poor average of 28.66. He scored a ton in one match but failed in other matches.

Also Read: 1 Indian, 1 Australian, No Virat Kohli Or Rohit Sharma- Cricketers Who Can Win Test Cricketer Of The Year Award

Imam-ul-Haq

Another opener who could not make a mark with the bat was Imam-ul-Haq. The Pakistan opener played 5 Tests in 2023. Across 9 innings, he mustered 246 runs at a poor average of 30.75. He scored fifties in 3 games but never managed to reach a three-digit score. He has also struggled in the ongoing series against Australia.

Babar Azam

Babar Azam is another player on this list. The former Pakistan skipper scored just 204 runs across 9 innings in 2023. He held an average of 22.66. Azam also failed to smack any century or half-century across 5 matches. His top knock was just 41 runs. Babar Azam also quit his Test captaincy this year.

Cheteshwar Pujara

For India, Cheteshwar Pujara was a poor performer in Tests in 2023. He is a specialist batsman in the longest format. However, the right-handed batter could only score 181 runs across 8 innings at an average of 25+. Pujara scored a half-century in one match but failed to come up with brilliant knocks in other matches.

Also Read: Neither Virat Kohli Nor Rohit Sharma!! Players Who Can Win the T20I Cricketer Of The Year Award

Tom Latham (WK)

Among wicketkeepers, New Zealand player Tom Latham gets a place in this team. The left-handed batsman played 13 games in 2023. Across 13 innings, he scored 430 runs averaging 33.07. Latham scored 4 fifties but could not score a ton in any game. Notably, he got out for low scores in many recent matches.

Moeen Ali

Among all-rounders, Moeen Ali from England gave a dismal show in the red-ball format in 2023. The left-handed batsman could only pile up 180 runs across 7 innings with a lone fifty. He averaged 25.71 across 4 matches. With the ball, the left-arm spinner grabbed 9 wickets in 7 innings at a high average of 51.44.

Keshav Maharaj

Keshav Maharaj is a spinner from South Africa. Although he gave a better performance in white-ball formats, his Test show was miserable. The left-arm spinner played 2 matches and picked 4 wickets in 3 innings. He had a poor bowling average of 47.25.

Also Read: 5 Indian Cricketers, Only 1 Pakistan Player!! T20I Team Of The Year 2023

Scott Boland

Australia pacer Scott Boland is one of the pacers who gave a flop show in Tests in 2023. Boland played 4 matches but could only pick 7 wickets at a high average of 52.85. The right-arm pacer was also expensive in Ashes 2023 where he was hit for a lot of runs by England batters. Boland was dropped from the team after the Ashes series.

Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur is another pacer who registered a flop show in the longest format in 2023. The right-arm seamer played 3 matches for India this year. He could only get 4 wickets across 4 innings. He held a high average of 55.80. Thakur executed a wonderful performance in Tests last year but failed to replicate it in 2023.

Also Read: No Place For Virat Kohli And KL Rahul!! Test Team Of The Year 2023

Kyle Jamieson

Who can forget Kyle Jamieson? He was the pacer who helped New Zealand to win the ICC World Test Championship final in 2021. He is a regular member of New Zealand’s team in red-ball format. However, the right-arm pacer could only get 2 wickets in 2 games in 2023, bowling at a high average of 42+. Jamieson struggled in 2023 and will aim for a comeback next year.