Cricket is changing in many ways. However, one sad part has been that some of the good teams have had to take a difficult road in recent times. It has happened due to various reasons. On that note, here, we take a look at three nations that had the worst downfall in recent history.
While there are calls for more nations to be involved in mainstream cricket, some of the traditional nations have not been good in recent years. The cricketing aspect is one factor, but there are numerous controversies, as well, surrounding these teams.
1) Sri Lanka
At the moment, Sri Lanka stands banned by the ICC. Even if the ban is lifted, they have not qualified for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and hence, they miss out on this competition. For a team that won the title once and also won the T20 World Cup in 2014, it has been a steady downfall. All of it started with the wrong handling of the transition phase. Later, contract issues, and controversies of a few players have brought the Lankans to this stage.
2) West Indies
West Indies is one of the nations that had the worst downfall in recent history. Winners of two ODI World Cups and two T20 World Cups, West Indies failed to enter the group stages of the 2022 T20 World Cup. Worsening their situation, they failed to do well in the World Cup qualifiers and missed the tournament, as well. There is talent in West Indies, but contract issues and the wishes of the players are not in alignment. This is the main reason for their downfall,
3) Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe was once a strong team that used to beat strong teams regularly. The likes of Andy Flower and Heath Streak are legends of the game. However, the team is not in a great shape right now. Political influence and financial reasons are the main factors. That said, the players are striving hard to get back to the top. With cricketers like Sikandar Raza at the helm, that can happen.
