There were a few significant upsets in the ODI World Cup 2023 during the second week, which ran from October 12 to October 19. Despite playing two matches apiece this week, New Zealand and India kept up their winning streak.
However, Australia’s losing streak came to an end this week. It was a week to forget for Bangladesh, England, and Afghanistan. especially for England, who suffered their first-ever ODI defeat at the hands of Afghanistan. South Africa had a mixed bag of results, defeating Australia but being caught off guard by the Netherlands’ ambush.
The team deserves most of the credit for the victories and the blame for the losses, but the captains also share some of the blame. They are the ones in charge of their teams, setting the batting order and playing on the field. Decisions can sometimes pay off handsomely, but other times they can bite you back hard.
Captain ranking in ODI World Cup:
10. Hashmatullah Shahidi (Afghanistan)- 5/10:
Throughout the two matches that Afghanistan played in the second week of the ICC World Cup 2023, Hashmatullah Shahidi’s leadership and ideas were all over the place. Afghanistan upset everyone by beating England and then losing in Delhi and Chennai to New Zealand.
When England was defending 284, Shahidi had Rashid Khan, his best player, held back while pacers and Mohammad Nabi took early wickets. In order to give Afghanistan a significant victory, Rashid, Nabi, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman ran through the middle order of England.
Shahidi had New Zealand at 110/4, but he held Rashid Khan back once more, and this time the ploy backfired. They lost the match due to Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips, and Shahidi’s choice proved to be disastrous for Afghanistan.
9. Jos Buttler (England)- 4/10:
England’s ODI World Cup 2023 campaign took a surprising turn when they lost to Afghanistan in Delhi during the second week of play. Afghanistan managed to reach 284 runs thanks to 80 and 58 runs from Rahmanullah Gurbaz in Alikhil. Jos Buttler’s field placement lacked conviction and he misread the pitch. Sam Curran and Chris Woakes gave away runs, and although the spinners performed well, Buttler was unable to make up for the pacers’ mistakes.
8. Shakib Al Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto (Bangladesh)- 5/10:
In the second week, Bangladesh faced New Zealand and India in two matches, both of which ended in losses. Shakib Al Hasan captained them, while Najmul Hossain Shanto did so after Shakib was hurt during the match against New Zealand.
Shakib and company were defending 245 runs against New Zealand, and they even took an early wicket. But Bangladesh was unable to hold the Kiwi batters down on the spin-friendly Chennai track. Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, and Kane Williamson were able to cream runs at will despite their spinner’s best efforts. With just two wickets gained by Bangladesh, Williamson was forced to retire injured.
Bangladesh scored 256 runs in Pune, a respectable total, against India. As Rohit Sharma destroyed the pacers in the powerplay overs, Najmul Shanto trusted his spinners to finish the job. Shanto’s inexperience was evident, though, as Virat Kohli exploited singles and doubles at will to win the game for India with relative ease—first with Shubman Gill and then with KL Rahul.
7. Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka)- 5/10:
Due to a thigh injury, Dasun Shanaka had to leave Sri Lanka ahead of their match against Australia in Lucknow. As captain, Kusal Mendis assumed command. When Sri Lanka batted first, Kusal Perera scored 78 of the paltry 209 runs they managed to score.
Dilshan Madushanka gave Sri Lanka two early wickets, and the total was not particularly high. However, Kusal Mendis’s spinners were unable to generate enough pressure. His captaincy lacked the aggressive element, and his bowlers simply lacked the necessary skills. Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis scored fifty runs apiece, and their side’s victory in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 was sealed in 35 overs by Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.
6. Babar Azam (Pakistan)- 5/10:
When Pakistan played India in Ahmedabad during the 2023 World Cup, Babar Azam had his greatest test to date. The pressure was evident for Pakistani players right away, as over 1,30,000 spectators at the Narendra Modi Stadium jeered Babar Azam. Mohammad Rizwan scored 49 runs, and Azam did well with 50.
However, Pakistan’s dismal batting performance saw them bowled out for 191. After that, when the renowned Pakistani bowling team showed up to defend the total, Rohit Sharma destroyed them, scoring 86 runs to give India a quick start. Babar Azam appeared perplexed as his prearranged scheme was dismantled. When his bowlers were under pressure, he appeared to run out of ideas and gave a poor performance overall.
5. Temba Bavuma (South Africa)- 5/10:
In the second week, South Africa participated in two matches. In their first game, which took place in Lucknow against Australia, South Africa performed admirably, amassing 311 runs, including a century from Quintin de Kock. Australia was bowled out for 177 runs after the Proteas bowlers did their magic, and captain Temba Bavuma took charge with his field placements and bowling changes.
In Dharamshala, Temba Bavuma captained admirably for about 40 overs when the Netherlands batted first. However, Scott Edwards turned the tide against Proteas, and Bavuma was unprepared in his role as captain as runs were falling at an alarming rate. His changes to the field proved ineffective, and bowlers went for runs as the Netherlands amassed a fighting total—sufficient to defeat South Africa.
4. Pat Cummins (Australia)- 6/10:
Pat Cummins had a challenging day at work in Lucknow against South Africa. Aiden Markram scored 56 runs, and Quinton de Kock scored a century. It appeared that South Africa would score more than 350 runs at this juncture. However, Cummins’ bowling and leadership allowed him to limit the total to just 311 runs. His star spinner Adam Zampa was hitting long balls in Lucknow, which caused him a lot of headaches.
Against Sri Lanka in the following game, Cummins demonstrated excellent leadership. In Lucknow, Kusal Perera and Pathum Nissanka initially put them under strain, but Cummins eventually got rid of both of them.
3. Scott Edwards (The Netherlands)- 7/10:
In the second week of the competition, the Netherlands played just one match, but it produced one of the biggest upsets in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023. The Dutch team played a fantastic match because, despite losing early wickets, they not only recovered to bat but also bowled with a well-thought-out strategy.
The Netherlands was at 110/5, but after a 78* from captain Scott Edwards and two wickets from Roelof van der Merwe and Aryan Dutt, they were up to 245/8. The South African batters were bowled over like nine pins when Edwards took a bold risk by opening with spinners. The Netherlands won by a heart-stirring 38 runs.
2. Tom Latham and Kane Williamson (New Zealand)- 7/10:
During the ODI World Cup 2023’s second week, New Zealand participated in two games. They dispatched Bangladesh to Chennai after defeating the Netherlands in Hyderabad. Against the Netherlands, Tom Latham captained the team and did a good job of defending 322 runs. As the main weapon, Mitchell Santner claimed five wickets.
Latham has performed admirably as the World Cup captain and exuded confidence in his strategies. On the other hand, Kane Williamson came back to top the following game against Bangladesh. Williamson, unflappable as ever, restrained the Bangladeshi batters. He used his pacers very well on the Chennai wicket; not a single one went for more than 5.80 runs per over.
1. Rohit Sharma (India)- 8/10:
After leading India to victories over Bangladesh and Pakistan, Rohit Sharma had the finest week of all captains. Both of the victories were resounding and demonstrated his leadership skills. During India’s first match against Pakistan in Ahmedabad, Rohit made good use of the crowd. Despite the partnership between Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, Rohit made brilliant bowling changes by bringing his pacers back on, and he was rewarded with wickets. To remove the lower order, he moved to spinners.
It was the same story against Bangladesh, with Litton Das and Tanzid Hasan pursuing the pacers. In order to get them out, Rohit Sharma brought on the spinners. After that, Rohit did a fantastic job of combining pacers and spinners. Even with Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya out of the game, Rohit was still able to limit Bangladesh to less than 280 runs.
So, this was all about the ODI World Cup 2023. Also read, Team rankings: Rating fielders in ODI World Cup 2023.
