The history of the ICC Cricket World Cup is full of unforgettable upsets, but a few have etched themselves into cricketing lore as the greatest shocks of all time. These upsets serve as enduring reminders of the unpredictability and excitement that the ODI World Cup brings to the cricketing world, where underdogs can triumph against all odds.
Bangladesh vs India, ODI World Cup 2007
The 2007 ODI World Cup was no less of a horror for Team India. India was knocked out by Bangladesh in the first round itself. After winning the toss, Team India, led by Rahul Dravid, chose to bat first. India never looked in command and fell apart for only 191 runs. Having a star-studded batting lineup such as Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni crumbled like a pack of cards. Only Sourav Ganguly fought with a patient knock of 66 runs.
While chasing relatively a low total, Bangladesh looked in control as a young Mushfiqur Rahim guided a famous upset. India lost the match by five wickets. This embarrassing defeat knocked India is out of the World Cup.
Ireland vs Pakistan, ODI World Cup 2007
The 2007 ODI World Cup was the most depressing one for both India and Pakistan as both teams were knocked out by minnows like Bangladesh and Ireland respectively. On St. Patrick’s Day in 2007, it was not supposed to happen, Ireland bowlers had a different plan. They triggered the famous Pakistan collapse and restricted them to 132 runs.
Chase was not easy in the presence of a strong Pakistani bowling lineup. Niall O’Brien, was the only batter that day who scored more than 30 runs. His remarkable 72 helped Ireland to get passed 132 and eventually, Pakistan was knocked out of the tournament.
Ireland vs England, ODI World Cup 2011
Ireland strikes again and this time it was England which was on the other side. Ireland won by three wickets in the 2011 ODI World Cup against England. It was the Kevin O’Brien who stole the show and helped Ireland to script a stunning upset. Ireland was 111-5 while chasing England’s 328. Ireland was cruising to an easy win, But what actually happened was one of the greatest nights in Irish cricket history.
Earlier England had scored 327 with the help of Jonathan Trott (92), Ian Bell (82), and Kevin Pietersen (59). Kevin O’Brien hit the fastest century in ODI World Cup History which is broken by Aiden Markram in the 2023 World Cup. He was then Well supported by No.7 Alex Cusack (47), the pair combined for a 162-run sixth-wicket stand which came off only 115 balls. He got out on 113 off 63 balls but the damage was done and Ireland finished things off with ease.
Afghanistan vs England, ODI World Cup 2023
England was starting the World Cup 2023 as the defending champions and one of the favorites to lift the trophy again. After beating Bangladesh comfortably, England was confident to dominate Afghanistan in Delhi, But the emerging Afghans had other plans.
England won the toss and invited Afghans to bat on a belter of a pitch. Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave Afghanistan a flying start by smashing English bowlers and scored 80 runs off 57 deliveries with eight fours and four sixes before getting ran out. Adil Rashid and Mark Wood bowled well and picked up wickets at regular intervals, but how did Afghanistan manage to post a competitive total of 284 runs.
When England came to chase, nobody had thought that England would fall apart against Afgan bowlers. The spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb, and Nabi were too good for English batters on that day. Ultimately England bundled out for 215 runs and Afghanistan defeated the defending champions by 69 runs.
Netherlands vs South Africa, ODI World Cup 2023
The 2023 World Cup had been proving to world cup of upsets. Netherlands was on the bottom of the table and South Africa was on the top of it. South Africa smashed 429 runs in their previous match against Srilanka and was in Red hot form. The Netherlands should have been a cakewalk for those form South Africa.
South Africa invited the Netherlands to bat first and bowled well in a rain-affected encounter. A magnificent knock of 78 not out by captain Scott Edwards helps the Dutch team to reach 245 runs in 43 overs. Roelof van der Merwe and Aryan Dutt also added some valuable runs towards the end of the innings.
Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock started the chase on a positive note but Netherland got the breakthrough in the eighth over as de Kock returned to the pavilion. The rest of South Africa’s famous batting lineup choked in the match. The Proteas only managed 207 runs, and the Netherlands registered their third win in the ODI World Cup’s history.