As we know, the CWC 2023 has already begun on October 5th, 2023, so there has been umpteen excitement among cricket fans and experts across the globe. Unlike some of the greatest chases, there have also been some of the well-known upsets that major test-playing nations have suffered at the hands of the associated country in the history of the 50-over CWC event. These kinds of events not only left the players upset but also left the fans in absolute shock around the world.
Through this blog, let us now look at some of the top 3 upsets that have taken place in the history of the 50-over Cricket World Cup event.
Bangladesh Vs England, CWC 2011
The number one upset that comes to mind is the match between Bangladesh and England at the 2011 CWC event. In this particular match, Shakib Al Hasan, the captain of Bangladesh, elected to field first after winning the toss.
- Prior to the beginning of this match, England seemed the hot favorite. But no one knew exactly what the fate of the England team was, as they started to lose wickets at regular intervals.
- At one stage, they were reduced to 162 runs for the loss of 4 wickets; it was Jonathan Trott who rescued them by playing a watchful knock of 67 runs despite loosing partners from the other end.
- Apart from Trott, it was Morgan who played a fine knock of 63 runs from 72 balls. Due to brilliant pace and spin bowling from the Bengal Tigers, the innings of the English team got wrapped up in 225 runs from their allotted 50 overs.
On the other hand, the Bangladesh bowlers were absolutely spot on, as their spin trio of Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, and Shakib Al Hasan picked up two wickets each. Whereas their pacers kept the line and length absolutely tight by not giving away any kinds of freebies. Now was the time for the Bangladesh cricket team to chase down this modest target of 226 runs. Despite losing wickets, the Bengal Tiger was able to chase down this target within 49 overs, winning the match by 2 wickets. It was Imrul Kayes who played a stunning knock of 60 runs from 100 balls. His knock consisted of five valuable boundaries. Later, it was Imrul Kayes who was adjudged the man of the match for his patience inning of 60 runs.
Afghanistan vs England, CWC 2023
The next on our list comes from this year’s CWC event, where Afghanistan handed a heavy defeat to defending champion England. Jos Buttler, the captain of the England cricket team, won the toss and elected to field first.
Afghanistan got a great start from both of their openers, as they reached 114 runs from 15 overs without losing any wickets.
- It was their opener, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who played a stunning knock of 80 runs from 57 deliveries. And his knock consisted of eight magnificent boundaries and four over-boundaries. Despite losing early wickets, it was lower-order batsman Ikram Alikhil who played a sublime knock of 58 runs from 66 deliveries.
- His knock mostly consisted of three boundaries and two over-boundaries. In the end, Afghanistan posted a competitive total of 284 runs from their allotted 50 overs.
- Although the Afghan camp thought that they were at least 20 to 25 runs short of what they thought of achieving, the target for the English cricket side was 286 runs from their allotted 50 overs.
- England cricket team, at the beginning of their innings, lost their opener, Bairstow, by just 2 runs. There was a time when the English cricket team lost four wickets for only 91 runs. They still held hopes because Harry Brookes was looking to be in sublime touch. But it was fate who had some other plans in mind.
Despite Brookes playing a fine knock of 66 runs, England started to lose wickets at regular intervals. When Brookes got out, the Barmy Army looked to be in stunned silence. Lastly, they got bowled out for 215 runs. It was the all-round performance of the Afghanistan team that helped them defeat the England cricket team by 69 runs. The spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman just toppled down the batting order of the entire English cricket team. It was Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman who picked up three wickets each against their own names. Mujeeb, because of his all-round performance with both bat and ball, was adjudged the man of the match for this match.
Netherlands vs South Africa, CWC 2023
Last on our list is the recently concluded match between the Netherlands and South Africa that took place on October 17, 2023. In this particular match, South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first.
- The Netherlands, having asked to bat first at the beginning of their innings, lost seven wickets to a score of 140 runs.
- But it was Scott Edwards, the captain of the Netherlands, who played a fine knock of 78 runs and posted a respectable total of 245 runs for the loss of 8 wickets from their allotted 43 overs. Since the match got delayed due to rain, the overs got reduced by 43, according to the DLS system.
- When the Proteas came into bat, they were bundled out for 207 runs. On the Proteas side, David Miller hit 43 runs from 52 balls. And his knock consisted of four boundaries and one over-boundary.
- It was an all-round performance from the Dutch team that they were able to hand over a defeat to the Proteas by 38 runs. Scott Edward, because of his fine knock of 78 runs, was adjudged the man of the match.
Due to this match, history was created by the Dutch team. Being an associate nation, they were for the first time able to beat a full-member test-playing nation by such a big margin.
Final Thoughts
From the above blog, as a cricket fan, it can be said that through all these matches, not only a major setback happens in the world of cricket, but a history is automatically created by these associate nations once every four year cycle.
Also Read : Fastest to 50 Wickets in ODI World Cup: Bowlers Who Ruled ODI WC
