In the ongoing World Cup 2023, within the past three days, two significant upsets have occurred that have left millions of cricket enthusiasts amazed. While Afghanistan’s defeat of England by 69 runs on Sunday was yet to sink, the Netherlands, in a stunning turn of events on Tuesday, defeated South Africa by 38 runs, shaking the fans.
Following these upsets, there’s a buzz of excitement in the tournament, which is beginning to show its true colours. There’s no doubt that these two major upsets have injected a lot of excitement into the World Cup 2023. Nonetheless, this is not the first time such an event has occurred in the history of the World Cup, which is filled with upsets. Let’s explore the biggest upsets in World Cup history one by one.
Year 1983: Kapil Dev’s India Denies a Hat-Trick
No one had thought that India would win even the initial round matches. The prospect of team India winning the title seemed distant. The two-time world champions West Indies found themselves at the losing end against India in the 1983 World Cup. India had managed to score 100 runs for 4 wickets in 32 overs during their first innings. However, they managed to reach a total of 183 runs after losing more wickets. After India’s innings, it was widely believed that West Indies would easily secure the World Cup. But Balwinder Sandhu took the wicket of Gordon Greenidge, and wickets were falling at regular intervals. Kapil Dev’s iconic catch running backward was etched into the annals of history. West Indies team was bowled out for 140 and India became the new World champion.
1983 World Cup Final highlights.
Kapil Dev's running catch to dismiss Viv Richards was the turning point! pic.twitter.com/7vs9kZj6HU
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 25, 2023
Kenya Stunned West Indies in the 1996 World Cup
Making their World Cup debut in 1996, Kenya pulled off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history by defeating the two-time defending champions, the West Indies, by 73 runs. Batting first, Kenya was bowled out for 166 runs, but thanks to a disciplined bowling and fielding performance, they were able to defend their total. The West Indies collapsed for 93 runs, with only Jimmy Adams and Shivnarine Chanderpaul scoring double figures. Kenya captain Maurice Odumbe was named Man of the Match for his three wickets.
Biggest upset in Cricket World Cup?
When Kenya beat West Indies in World Cup 1996
Kenya in their first World Cup, only had one professional cricketer, Steve Tikolo, with the remainder all amateurs. pic.twitter.com/CrgZ926mcg
— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) October 5, 2023
Bangladesh Crushed India’s dreams in 2007 World Cup
In one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, Bangladesh defeated India by five wickets in Port-of-Spain, knocking India out of the tournament in the preliminary round. Despite the presence of cricketing legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and Yuvraj Singh, the Indian team crumbled, managing only 191 runs. Mashrafe Mortaza and Abdur Razzak bowled brilliantly, taking three wickets each. Bangladesh’s 18-year-old opener Tamim Iqbal then played a superb innings of 50 runs to help his team chase down the target. Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan also provided valuable contributions, and Bangladesh achieved a historic victory over India. Bangladesh’s victory was a landmark moment for their cricket team, and it showed that even the minnows could compete with the best teams in the world.
#OnThisDay in 2007, Bangladesh stunned India at the World Cup! pic.twitter.com/mQQgJiKXYH
— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) March 17, 2019
Year 2011: Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien Crushes England
In this year’s World Cup, Ireland defeated England in Bangalore, and Kevin O’Brien emerged as the hero. It was the fastest century in World Cup history. England had posted 327 runs for 8 wickets. At present, Afghanistan’s coach, Jonathan Trott, scored 92, and Ian Bell scored 81 runs. Boyd Rankin took four wickets. In response, Ireland’s opener, William Porterfield, was dismissed before the team could open their account. But Kevin O’Brien played an extraordinary innings, scoring a century with 13 fours and 6 sixes off just 50 balls, stunning the English. After Kevin’s dismissal, despite the chase being in shambles, Ireland managed to secure a miraculous win by 3 wickets with 5 balls remaining.
2011 – Ireland defeated England in the ODI World Cup.
2023 – Afghanistan defeated England in the ODI World Cup.A memorable win for Hashmatullah Shahidi and his men 👏#IREvsAFG #Cricket #WorldCup #JosButtler pic.twitter.com/QRE3jNxx1J
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) October 15, 2023
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