3 batters who starred in the 2019 World Cup but have struggled in 2023 ft. Babar Azam

The 2019 World Cup was an entertaining tournament that lived up to its billing, especially with the summit clash being as memorable and historic as it was. Several stellar individual performances decorated the competition.

Rohit Sharma ended up as the highest run-scorer in that edition of the tournament, with David Warner hot on his heels. The duo have been impressive this year as well, with Rohit leading India to the top of the 2023 World Cup points table and Warner giving Australia some excellent starts in the powerplay.

Others, however, haven't been able to replicate their displays from four years ago. On that note, here are three batters who starred in the 2019 World Cup but have struggled in the 2023 edition of the marquee ICC event.

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#3 Babar Azam

Babar Azam hasn't been at his prolific best.

Pakistan narrowly missed out of the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup on net run rate. New Zealand, who pipped them to fourth spot, went on to reach the final of the competition.

Babar Azam, who wasn't at the helm at the time, had a productive run with the bat. In eight matches, he tallied 474 runs at an average of 67.71 and a strike rate of 87.77. He notched up three fifties and one century, propping up a slightly inconsistent Pakistan batting unit.

This time, though, Babar has been far from his best. In eight matches, he has managed just 282 runs at an average of 40.28 and a strike rate of 82.69. He has recorded four fifties, but none of them have been convincing - even his last knock against New Zealand featured some big hits but was well below the asking rate's demands.

Pakistan are still in the hunt for a semifinal spot in the aftermath of their win over the Kiwis, and Babar could set the record straight over the remainder of the tournament.

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#2 Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib has been unsettled by pace and bounce in the World Cup.

Bangladesh have endured a rather poor World Cup campaign in 2023 after appearing to be one of the dark horses to make the knockouts following a good period of bilateral ODI form. Instability in leadership roles and team selection haven't helped matters.

Another factor that has contributed to their downfall is the batting form of star man Shakib Al Hasan. The Bangladesh skipper has managed just 104 runs in six innings at an average of 17.33 and a strike rate of 64.59, with a highest score of 43. Pace and bounce have proven to be his undoing in the tournament.

Shakib's performances have been in stark contrast to those he dished out in 2019, when it was a miracle that he didn't win the Player of the Tournament award. He amassed 606 runs in eight innings at an average of 86.57 and a strike rate of 96.03, with five fifties and two hundreds.

Shakib has already stated that this will be his last World Cup, and one of the greatest all-rounders ever might have to bow out from cricket's biggest event on an underwhelming note.

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#1 Joe Root

Joe Root bagged a first-ball duck against India.

As England won the 2019 World Cup in incredibly thrilling fashion, several performers went under the radar amid big names like Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes. One such player was Joe Root, who was consistent in the side's run to the trophy.

Root scored 556 runs in 11 innings at an average of 61.77 and a strike rate of 89.53, with three fifties and two hundreds. He was England's highest run-scorer, amassing a tally that dwarfed those of more dynamic batters like Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow.

This time around, though, both England and Root have been quite woeful. The star batter came into the tournament without many runs under his belt, and while it seemed like he was working his way into form, things have gone horribly wrong. He has made just 188 runs in seven innings at an average of 26.85.

With England likely to undergo a mass revamp following the World Cup, Root might be on his last legs as an ODI cricketer.