Upsets in World Cups: From Kenya’s Caribbean heist to the Afghan’s English triumph
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Afghanistan delivered the first upset in the ongoing edition of the ICC ODI World Cup on Sunday, when they defeated the defending champions England by 69 runs in Delhi.
This was the Afghan side's second ever win in ODI World Cups and it also ranks high amongst the biggest upsets ever in the tournament.
In almost every edition of the World Cup since the 90s, the cricketing world has witnessed stunning upsets. Here is a chronological look at a few of the biggest ones.
Kenya v West Indies: 1996
A star-studded West Indies teams featuring Brian Lara, Richie Richardson, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh suffered a shocking defeat to Kenya, an associate team.
The match was initially following the expected script, with Kenya getting rolled over for 166.
But the West Indian batters could not get going at all in Pune and got bundled out for a paltry 93.
Zimbabwe v India: 1999
The Flower brothers - Andy and Grant - were the backbone of the Zimbabwe innings that reached a total of 252.
India, who were without their talismanic batsman Sachin Tendulkar who had flown back home from England to attend his father's funeral, in reply fell three runs short.
At one point, India just needed seven runs with many overs remaining and six wickets in hand. However, ZImbabwean pacer Henry Olonga then struck thrice in the same over to seal a dramatic victory.
Bangladesh v Pakistan: 1999
A victory that remains very near and dear for all Bangladesh cricket fans, is the Tigers's stunning win over Pakistan at the 1999 ICC ODI World Cup.
Bangladesh managed to post a decent 223 in the first innings on the back of hard-fought innings from Akram Khan (42) and Shahriar Hossain (39).
Pakistan's chase then fell apart quickly as they lost wickets at regular intervals and limped to 42/5.
Captain Wasim Akram and Azhar Mahmood tried to resurrect the innings but in the end, the Tigers bundled out Pakistan for 161.
Bangladesh all-rounder Khaled Mahmud was named the player of the match for 27 runs with the bat and three scalps with the ball.
Zimbabwe v South Africa: 1999
A star-studded South Africa line-up were on the charge toward a semi-final berth when they faced Zimbabwe.
Neil Johnson opened the Zimbabwe innings and top-scored with 76 to lead his side to a total of 233.
The all-rounder then took the new ball and dismissed Gary Kirsten with the first delivery of the innings to spark a stunning collapse that ended in a famous 48-run victory for the Zimbabweans.
Kenya v Sri Lanka: 2003
On their way to a berth at the semifinal, Kenya shocked Sri Lanka, beating them by 53 runs in Nairobi.
Kennedy Otieno was the key to a decent total of 210 as the opener raced to 60.
Sri Lanka then cruised to 71/2 before Kenya leg-spinner Collins Obuya then turned the match with a flurry of wickets, finishing with 5/24, in what turned out to be a match-defining spell.
Bangladesh v India: 2007
In 2007, a young Bangladesh team led by Habibul Bashat stunned Rahul Dravid's India to script one of the biggest wins in the country's cricketing history.
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza set the tone early when he rattled Virender Sehwag's stumps in the first over.
The momentum carried over for the rest of the innings for Bangladesh as India could only muster 192.
Three World Cup debutants, Tamim Iqbal (51), Mushfiqur Rahim (53) and Shakib Al Hasan (56) then came good with the bat and took Bangladesh home with five wickets in hand.
Ireland v England: 2011
England have been on the receiving end of several World Cup shocks over the years but their clash with rivals Ireland looked a formality at the end of the first innings.
A run-a-ball 92 to Jonathan Trott and quickfire fifties to Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell had put England in command with a total of 327.
The target looked well out of reach for Ireland when they slumped to 111/5 but an incredible 113 off 63 balls from Kevin O'Brien sealed a shock three-wicket win for Ireland.
Afghanistan v England: 2023
Defending champions England were expected to brush aside Afghanistan in Delhi, but instead, the Afghans sprung them a surprise.
Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed 80 from 57 balls and then Mujeeb Ur Rahman hit a crucial 28 late down the order to take the total to 284.
Mujeeb then claimed 3-51 in a player of the match performance as the Afghanistan spinners claimed eight of England's 10 wickets to fall in a 69-run victory.
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