The Cricket World Cup, where the world’s top teams vie for supreme honor, is the summit of one-day international cricket. However, occasionally the underdogs succeed in outlasting the favorites, confounding all predictions and odds. With links to the scorecards, here are seven of the biggest upsets in cricket world cup history, listed from least to most shocking.
1)India vs. Bangladesh, 2007.
India’s experience at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean was terrible; they were eliminated in the first round after losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. 192 was a moderate goal for Bangladesh, who successfully chased it down with nine balls remaining and five wickets in hand. For Bangladesh, important runs were made by Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Shakib Al Hasan, while Mashrafe Mortaza and Abdur Razzak each claimed three wickets to contain India. After defeating Pakistan in 1999, it was Bangladesh’s second World Cup victory and first over India in ODIs.
2)Australia vs. Zimbabwe, 1983
Zimbabwe’s victory over a formidable Australia in Nottingham during the 1983 World Cup’s group stages was one of the tournament’s biggest surprises. The Australians gave Zimbabwe the opportunity to bat; they started out steadily but quickly ran into problems at 94 for 5. A significant 70-run stand was made by Duncan Fletcher and Kevin Curran before the latter was removed. Fletcher, on the other hand, led his team to 239 for 6 at the end of the 60 overs with a top score of 76 not out. The Zimbabwean bowlers continued to take wickets at regular intervals after Graeme Wood was out for 31, with Fletcher once again shining with the ball. 168 for 6 was the final score when Allan Border was declared out, and it was left to goalkeeper Rodney Marsh to lead his team home. But despite his best efforts, the Australians lost since Zimbabwe went on to win by 13 runs.
3)Kenya vs. the West Indies, 1996
Before the competition started, nobody could have predicted such a result. West Indies went into their encounter against Kenya in Pune with the expectation that they would earn important points and raise their net run rate. When given the opportunity to bat, the Kenyans only managed a subpar 166 all out; Steve Tikolo had the most points with 29. With Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul at the crease in response, West Indies lost their openers cheaply but still appeared at ease at 72 for 2. But at that precise moment, Rajab Ali struck twice in a single over to eliminate both of them and bring about a stunning collapse. West Indies were bowled out for 93 in 35.2 overs after losing their final eight wickets for just 37 runs. Kenya triumphed by a huge margin of 73 runs and achieved their first-ever World Cup victory.
4)The 2011 Ireland-England match
In the 2011 World Cup, England had already played in two exciting games, tied with India and defeating Netherlands by six wickets. They anticipated an easy victory against Ireland in Bangalore in order to raise their spirits. In their opening innings of play, England amassed an impressive score of 327 for 8, mostly due to centuries from Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell. The opening ball of Ireland’s innings resulted in the loss of captain William Porterfield, and by the end of the 25th over, they were down to 111 for 5. It appeared inevitable that England would triumph handily. Kevin O’Brien, however, had other plans. He altered the outcome of the game by smashing the quickest century in World Cup history off just 50 balls. Together, he and Alex Cusack scored 162 runs, which helped Ireland go near to the goal. His teammates finished the job as Ireland triumphed by three wickets with five balls remaining after he was eventually bowled for an astounding 113 from 63 balls. One of the greatest comebacks in history, it was also the highest-scoring chase in World Cup history.
5)India vs. Sri Lanka, 1979
India had advanced to the semifinals of the first World Cup in 1975, but they were unable to do so in 1979. In Manchester, they took on Sri Lanka, which at the time was not even a Test-playing country. Roy Dias struck a brilliant 50, while Duleep Mendis made an unbeaten 64 as Sri Lanka’s first-innings total of 238 for 5 in their allowed 60 overs. India’s chase got off to a terrible start when Sunil Gavaskar was out for a duck, and by the 15th over, they were down to 38 for 4. The innings was attempted to be rebuilt by Gundappa Viswanath and Kapil Dev, but both fell in quick succession. India was all out for 191 in 54.1 overs after failing to bounce back from the early blows. Sri Lanka won by 47 runs, becoming champions for the first time.
6)1983’s India vs. the West Indies
Most people agree that the 1983 World Cup final is the most famous occasion in Indian cricket history. India had advanced to their first World Cup final and would take on the powerful West Indies there. India, who was batting first, had a rocky start after losing Sunil Gavaskar early. Before the former was expelled for 38, K Srikkanth and Yashpal Sharma briefly stabilized the ship. After that, India struggled to advance because the West Indian quicks kept taking wickets. In the end, they were dismissed for 183 in 54.4 overs, with Andy Roberts taking 3 wickets. Everyone anticipated that the Caribbean squad would win easily when the game restarted during the second inning. Additionally, it appeared that the game would be done well before 35 overs when Vivian Richards was at the crease. That, however, was not to happen. By dismissing Richards with a spectacular running catch, Kapil Dev assisted his team in getting back into the game. From that point on, Indian spinners took significant wickets because none of the West Indian batsmen were able to build on their early performances. The miracle was finished when Michael Holding was caught lbw by Mohinder Amarnath. India won by 43 runs to become the new world champions, pulling off a massive shock.
7)Pakistan vs. Bangladesh, 1999
Bangladesh’s participation in the 1999 World Cup in England, where they were making their World Cup debut, was a special one. Despite having lost their first four games, they had displayed some grit and spirit. In Northampton, they played Pakistan, one of the favorites to win the competition. Pakistan rested some of its important players for this game because they had already qualified for the Super Six stage. Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, and Saeed Anwar were part of a potent lineup that they still had, nevertheless. Akram Raza took three wickets for Pakistan as Bangladesh produced a modest total of 223 for 9 in their 50 overs while batting first. In response, Pakistan looked in command at 101 for 2 with Inzamam and Ijaz Ahmed at the crease despite losing Anwar early. Khaled Mahmud, though, struck twice in a single over to dismiss both of them and change the momentum in Bangladesh’s favor. Pakistan was bowled out for 161 in 44.3 overs after losing their final eight wickets for just 42 runs. Bangladesh scored their first-ever victory in ODIs and World Cups with a 62-run victory. A proud moment for Bangladesh cricket, it was also one of the biggest surprises in cricket history.
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