Afghanistan etched their names in the history books as they defeated England, the defending champions of the ICC ODI World Cup to record a historic upset. Over the years, England have been on the receiving end of some massive World Cup upsets, from 1992 against Zimbabwe to the 2011 reverse at the hands of Ireland, English fans have seen it all.
Hashmatullah Shahidi’s men snapped their 14-game losing streak to conquer the World Champions by 69 runs, thereby achieving a massive feat, arguably one of the biggest upsets of all time. There are many other occasions when the underdogs managed to outdo the mightiest teams in world cricket.
India’s maiden ICC ODI World Cup crown in 1983 comes to mind when Kapil Dev’s Devils upset reigning two-time World Champions West Indies in the final to lift the cup against all odds.
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Here are some of the biggest ICC ODI World Cup upsets:
1983: India vs West Indies
In one of the most stunning upsets in the history of the World Cup, the Kapil Dev-led India floored two-time defending champions (1975, 1979) West Indies by 43 runs to win their maiden title at the iconic Lord’s. Defending a meagre 183, India produced a splendid bowling show to bundle out the mighty West Indies for 140.
1983: Zimbabwe vs Australia
The 1983 edition saw another upset when Zimbabwe surprised the cricketing world by upsetting Australia by 13 runs at Trent Bridge on their World Cup debut. Duncan Fletcher made 69 not out to help his side post 239 for six from their 60 overs. He also claimed 4/42 as the Australian side boasting of Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson and Allan Border were restricted to 226 for seven.
2011: Ireland England
Ireland produced a giant-killing act when a Kevin O’Brien-inspired team downed England, chasing down a mammoth 328 with three wickets intact at the M Chinnaswamy in Bangalore. O’Brien smashed the World Cup’s fastest hundred in 60 balls. He hit six sixes and 13 fours in his knock of 113 that came off just 63 balls.
1996: Kenya vs West Indies
Playing their maiden World Cup, Kenya scripted a dramatic upset by defeating West Indies by 73 runs in Pune. This was the first occasion in World Cup history that a non-Test-playing nation defeated a Test-playing nation.
Exploiting a turner, off-spinner Maurice Odumbe’s 3/15 off 10 overs became decisive as the star-studded West Indies with Brian Lara, Richie Richardson in their ranks folded for a paltry 93 while chasing 164.
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1999: Bangladesh vs Pakistan
Bangladesh shocked Pakistan in an inconsequential match at Northampton. Bangladesh made 223/9 and in reply Pakistan were bundled out for 161 in 44.3 overs.
2007 Bangladesh vs India
Bangladesh got the better of India by five wickets in the group-stage match at Port of Spain and the result eventually caused the team’s early elimination. Mashrafe Mortaza’s 4/38 put India in a spot as they collapsed to a below-par 191 in 49.3 overs. Bangladesh chased down the target in 48.3 overs with five wickets intact.
2023 Afghanistan vs England
Afghanistan well and truly earned their place in the folklore of world cricket as they beat England by 69 runs thanks to a clinical team performance. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ikram Alikhil scored fifties to power the Afghans to a score of 284 runs, their second-highest in World Cup history so far. In reply, the bowlers dished out a masterclass as they restricted England to a paltry 215, with Mujeeb ur Rahman and Rashid Khan claiming 3 wickets each.
With agency inputs
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