3 biggest upsets in ODI World Cup history

Afghanistan took down the defending champions England in Delhi and reminded everyone that the World Cup is an event where there are upsets and the minnows are always ready to spring up a surprise. In the past, we have witnessed many memorable upsets in the ODI World Cup. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and revisit three of the biggest upsets in the ODI World Cup history.

Three biggest upsets in ODI World Cup history:

1. Kenya vs West Indies, 1996

The West Indian skipper Richie Richardson won the toss and decided to invite the Kenyans to bat first. West Indies had a lethal bowling attack which consisted of Curtley Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, and Ian Bishop. Kenyans found it really hard to hold their fort against such a formidable bowling unit. They got bowled out for 166. Courtney Walsh and right-arm off-break Roger Harper decimated the Kenyan batting order, taking 3 wickets each.

But what happened in the second innings shocked the cricketing world. Kenya led by their inspiring leader, Maurice Odumbe, pulled off a miracle. They bowled out the West Indies for a meager total of 93. The batting lineup which boasted Richie Richardson, Brian Lara, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul could not even cross the 100-run mark. Captain Odumbe and Rajab Ali did the bulk of the work and took three wickets each to restrict West Indies.

2. Ireland vs England, 2011 

The Irish took down their neighbour England in the 2011 ODI World Cup to pull off one the most memorable victories in the ODI World Cup. M. Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru witnessed a classic on that day. 

England batted first on a perfect batting-friendly pitch and posted a huge total on the board to put the Irish under pressure. Kevin Pietersen and Jonatha Trott made significant contributions with two half-centuries to take England to 327. John Mooney was the pick of the bowlers for Ireland as he picked up 4 wickets in the first innings. 

Ireland had to bat much better to chase this huge target and to everyone’s surprise, they did that. Kevin O’Brien played a thunderous knock of 113 runs off just 63 deliveries which was the fastest century in the ODI World Cup then. John Mooney contributed with the bat as well and played a crucial knock of 33 runs to help Ireland cross the final barrier and give the cricket fans one of the most treasured matches.

1. Bangladesh vs India, 2007

The Indian team was filled with stars like Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Sehwag, Zahir Khan, and MS Dhoni but their 2007 World Cup campaign left everyone in a shock and that shock was given by the minnows, Bangladesh. 

The Indian skipper elected to bat first but his plans were foiled by the Bangladesh bowlers. Mashrafe Mortaza and left-arm orthodox Abdur Razzak played a huge role in restricting India to 191. Mortaza, who went on to become the captain, picked up 4 wickets and he was assisted by Abdur Razzak with three crucial wickets in his account.

In the second innings, India tried to pull things back with an early breakthrough but the Bangladesh batting order proved to be resilient. Tamim Iqbal played a quick innings at the top which helped Bangladesh to put the Indian bowling attack in trouble. India gave two quick blows but Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan scored half-centuries to take Bangladesh across the line. 

With this defeat, India got eliminated from the World Cup and Bangladesh achieved one of the most famous victories in their history.  

Also read: Top 3 innings by Jacques Kallis in ODIs