Often hailed as the “flagship event” of the international cricket calendar, the Cricket World Cup is undoubtedly one of the most popular cricket tournaments among billions of cricket fans around the world. The cricket’s biggest carnival, the Cricket World Cup, brings along packed stadiums, ear-splitting cheers, spine-chilling rivalries, action-packed performances and a much-anticipated finale that leaves fans with a bout of jitters. While the cricket World Cup is often commemorated as the ultimate glory for the winning squad and its supporters, it often turns out to be a heartbreaking experience for the losing team and their fans, who are left in utter shock and misery after losing the World Cup.
Top Five Most Shocking Defeats at the Cricket World Cup
In this article, we will take a look at the top five most upsetting defeats in the history of the cricket WC that left the fans shocked.
Bangladesh vs India at the 2007 ICC Cricket WC
Shockingly, Bangladesh pushed India to an unexpected early exit from the 2007 ICC Cricket WC and is still looked upon as one of the most unpleasant cricket memories by the fans of Indian cricket. Bangladesh’s annihilating bowling attack that came from left-arm spinner Abdul Razzak and pace bowler Mashrafe Mortaza destroyed the star-studded batting lineup of India at a total of just 191* runs on the scoreboard.
In the latter part of the innings, the 18-year-old Tamim Iqbal fearlessly played his second World Cup match and registered a match winning total of 51* runs against the Indian side. Bangladesh’s stunning five-wicket victory over India in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup left the fans in unmitigated shock.
Ireland vs England at the 2011 ICC Cricket WC
Ireland’s victory over England in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup is still hailed as one of the most shocking victories in the history of the cricket WC. The Group B encounter at the 2011 ICC Cricket WC between Ireland and England witnessed the Irish side initially struggling to chase a mammoth total of 328* runs.
However, O’Brien’s explosive innings against the English bowlers turned out to be a complete changer. O’Brien smashed a match-winning total of 113* runs off just 63 deliveries and became the cricketer to smash the fastest century in just 50 balls. England found itself back in the game once O’Brien was dismissed in the 49th over and Ireland still required 11 runs off 11 deliveries to clinch the game. John Mooney stepped up the crease and led Ireland to a shocking and memorable victory against England in the 2011 Cricket World Cup with his last-ditch assault of 33* runs.
Kenya vs West Indies at the 1996 ICC Cricket WC
At the third spot in our list of top five upsets in the history of the World Cup, we have West Indies’ terrifying defeat against Kenya that left the fans in a state of utter shock. Kenya, often perceived as an underdog team in international cricket, registered a total of 166* runs in the Group A match of the 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Although the match initially seemed to be in favor of West Indies, who were expected to easily chase down the listed target of 166* runs, the blistering pace attack of Kenya’s bowlers, led from the front by their skipper Maurice Odunbe, proved to be one of the biggest nightmares for the West Indies batting lineup that was bundled out for mere 93* runs. Kenya’s 73-run victory over West Indies undoubtedly took the entire cricketing world by a storm.
Ireland vs Pakistan at the 2007 ICC Cricket WC
Well, the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup unarguably witnessed numerous upsetting instances and one such infamous instance that stirred a major controversy in international cricket was the mysterious death of Pakistan’s coach, Bob Woolmer, who was found dead in his hotel room after Pakistan’s humiliating defeat against Ireland in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup.
With a relentless and fierce bowling attack, Ireland managed to sack Pakistan’s batting lineup at a total of 132* runs and in the latter part of the match, a commendable partnership between O’Brien and Trent Johnston led the Irish side to their first-ever victory at the World Cup tournament. However, Ireland’s path-breaking victory was brutally overshadowed by the unfortunate death of Bom Woomler, which is still considered to be one of the most shocking events in the history of the World Cup.
United States vs Pakistan at the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 WC
At the fifth spot in our list of top five most shocking upsets in the history of the World Cup, we have the most recent face-off between the United States and Pakistan at the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup tournament. The high-stakes match reached an apex of drama and intense emotions when both teams managed to reach a total of 159* runs in 20 overs and entered a fate-deciding super over. While the United States managed to smash a total of 18* runs in the super over, the Pakistan side could only muster a total of 13* runs leading it to a humiliating defeat at the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Also Read: Ranking Of The Five Oldest Players To Win A World Cup Final In Women’s T20
