Pakistan’s 3 biggest upsets in ODI World Cup history

Since its inception in 1975, the Men’s ODI World Cup has been the biggest stage producing many exciting moments. These include thrilling neck-to-neck encounters, centuries, five-wicket hauls, hat-trick wickets and even coups. Coming with the ‘underdogs’ tag and stunning the cricketing world by defeating the tournament favorites are rare sightings but will remain historic moments.

Five-time champions Australia, two-time champions India, defending champions England and 1992 winners Pakistan have been part of such upsets. The 2023 ODI World Cup is one of the editions that has seen three upsets and may set a new record for the most as the tournament progresses. It started with Afghanistan beating England, followed by the Netherlands’ upset of South Africa and the Asian team’s recent coup over Pakistan.

In this article, we take a look at Pakistan’s biggest upsets in ODI World Cup history:

1. Ireland Beat Pakistan by 3 Wickets (2007 World Cup)

Playing in their maiden ODI World Cup, Ireland produced a stunning performance with the ball to claim a shock win over Pakistan. After opting to field first, all-round bowling efforts from the Irish team restricted the Men in Green to a mere 132 in 45.4 overs. Boyd Rankin took three wickets, while Kyle McCallan and Andre Botha grabbed two each. Ireland did not get off to a good start with the bat as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. However, Niall O’Brien’s gritty knock of 107-ball 72 helped them cross the finish line with 32 balls to spare.

2. Bangladesh defeat Pakistan by 62 Runs (1999 World Cup)

Bangladesh stunned their Asian rivals by 62 runs in their maiden appearance in the Men’s ODI World Cup. Batting first, Bangladesh posted a total of 223 runs on the back of Akram Khan’s 42 runs and 39 runs from opener Shahriar Hussain. In reply, Pakistan suffered a major collapse as they were reduced to 42/5 in 12.3 overs. Their lower-order tried to overcome the upset but eventually, the Men in Green were bowled out for 161 runs. Khaled Mahmud, who took three wickets, was the wrecker-in-chief.

3. Afghanistan thrashed Pakistan by 8 Wickets (2023 World Cup)

The third of the 2023 ODI World Cup, second by Afghanistan. After opting to bat first, Pakistan posted a decent total of 282 on the back of captain Babar Azam and opener Abdullah Shafique’s half-centuries. Chasing a competitive target on a difficult Chepauk pitch, Afghan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran laid the foundation with a 130-run partnership. After their dismissal, Rahmat Shah and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi took the team over the finish line with an over to spare. This was Afghanistan’s first-ever ODI win against Pakistan. 

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