Written by: Waseem Abbas
Posted on: June 10, 2024 | 
| 中文
USA's bowler Jasdeep Singh celebrates after taking Babar Azam's wicket. (picture credits to ESPNcricinfo)
The United States of America (USA) announced its arrival in international cricket by thrashing the former champions, Pakistan, on the 6th of June in Dallas, Texas. It was generally believed that the superpower of world politics is not as menacing in cricket as it is in international affairs and geopolitics, but it stunned both the Pakistani team and the cricket pundits alike.
The full match was drawn, as the United States also scored 159 runs in response to Pakistan’s 159. Pakistan, however, lost the match in the super over by 5 runs, as it could only score 13 runs after conceding 19 runs. History was created, with Pakistan continuing its legacy of losing to minnows in world cups and depending on ‘ifs and buts’ for the qualification to the next round. Let's revisit a few of the biggest upsets, where a comparatively weaker team has defeated a stronger team, in the previous T20 World Cups (WCs).
USA players celebrate after taking a wicket
Pakistan reached the final in the 2022 T20 World Cup, where it lost to England after a close encounter, but before rising to the occasion late in the tournament, Pakistan lost to Zimbabwe in a closely contested match. Pakistan restricted Zimbabwe to 130-8 in the designated 20 overs, thanks to Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan and Muhammad Wasim’s remarkable bowling performance. After losing captain Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed cheaply, Shan Masood built the inning with Shadab Khan, but both could not capitalize on the earlier starts. Chasing 11 runs in the last over with Muhammad Nawaz and Waseem Junior on the crease, Pakistan hoped that it had the game under control. After scoring 8 runs in the first three balls, Pakistan could only manage to score one run, registering another blot in the history of Pakistan cricket.
Zimbabwean players celebrate after winning against Pakistan, 2022 WC
After losing to Zimbabwe, Pakistan had pinned its hopes on the Netherlands to beat South Africa, so that Pakistan could qualify for the next round. In the case of the South African triumph, Pakistan was bound to be ousted from the competition. Miraculously enough, Qudrat ka Nizam (God's plans) worked, and the Netherlands defeated South Africa to make Pakistan's way easy. The Netherlands set up the target of 159 against South Africa's menacing bowling attack, which looked a score well within their range. Many Proteas batters gained starts, but not a single one could score more than 25 runs. Bas de Leede in the death overs, Brandon Glover in the middle, and Fled Klassen in the first powerplay, kept the Proteas in check to hand over one of the biggest upsets in the T20 WC history.
Netherlands' Bas De Leede bowling against South Africa, 2022 WC. (Picture credits to ESPNcricinfo)
In another upset of the 2022 T20 World Cup, Ireland thrashed the champions of the World Cup, England, in a match impacted by rain in Melbourne. Irish captain Andy Balbirnie led from the front to score 62, setting up a respectable total of 158, against an experienced attack of Mark Wood, Sam Curran and Adil Rashid. Left-arm Irish quick Josh Little troubled England's experienced openers, Jos Butler and Alex Hales, in his first spell, getting rid of both of them in his first two overs. Moeen Ali smashed three fours and a six in 7 legal deliveries before the rain started pouring in, at which point England was trailing by five runs according to the DuckWorth-Lewis System (DLS). The match could not be resumed due to rain, and England faced another upset in the history of the T20 WC.
With a team that had no superstars, Namibia stunned the world when it thrashed the former champions, Sri Lanka, in a one-sided clash in the first game of the megaevent. Namibia managed to score 163 in 20 overs, thanks to Jan Frylinck’s 44 off 28 and former South African David Weise’s 31 not out, off 16 balls. Not a single Sri Lankan batter crossed the 30 runs mark, due to which Sri Lanks was bundled out for 108. Four Namibians, including Weise and Frylinck, took two wickets each, all while drying up the flow of runs. It was the first and the only upset Sri Lanka endured in T20 WCs.
Defending 10 runs off the last over against West Indies, Afghanistan’s Muhammad Nabi did not concede a single boundary and took the scalp of Carlos Braithwaite in the Super 10 round of the 2016 T20 World Cup. It is quite ironic that the same Braithwaite smashed England’s Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes in the last over of the final of the tournament to make the Caribbean side champions. Batting first, Afghanistan failed to cope with the West Indian spin web, as young Najibullah Zadran's 48 not out off 40 balls, was the only saving grace for them. Chasing a mere 124 runs in 20 overs, the Caribbean team consisting of renowned T20 league trotters, such as Jhonson Charles, Marlon Samuels, Ewin Lewis, Andre Russel and Darren Sammy amongst others, were trapped by the Afghan spin trio of Muhammad Nabi, Amir Hamza and the emerging Rashid Khan. The trio only conceded 61 runs in 12 overs taking 5 wickets, due to which the Caribbean side fell short by six runs, resulting in the biggest upset of the 2016 T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan players celebrate after defeating West Indies
The biggest upset of the 2014 T20 World Cup also involved England, which was decisively defeated by the Netherlands. The Netherlands managed to score only 133-5 runs in 20 overs, slipping from 84-1 in 11 overs, because of impeccable bowling performances from captain Stuart Broad, veteran Ravi Bopara and Chris Jordan. A lineup consisting of players like Alex Hales, Ravi Bopara, Eion Morgan, Jos Butler and Moeen Ali was bundled out for 88, as Pakistan-born Mudassir Bukhari and Logan Van Beek took three wickets each, to challenge the English march towards their target.
It is not like Bangladesh is a world champion and it is impossible to defeat it, but when an opposition consisting of mostly semi-professional players defeats it, it can be termed as an upset. Bangladesh team boasted the presence of experienced players like Shakib ul Hassan, Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mushfiq ur Rahim, Abdul Rezzak and Nasir Hossein amongst others, but they could only score 108 runs against Hong Kong in the 2014 WC. Pakistani expatriates Tanwir Afzal, Nizakat Khan and Nadeem Ahmed restricted the Bangla Tiger, before Haseeb Amjad, Irfan Ahmed and Munir Dar, all of Pakistani origins, chipped in with the bat to complete the chase. The 40-year-old Munir Dar was particularly impressive, as smashed 3 fours and a maximum to dent Bangladesh's chances in the game, as Mahmudullah and Shakib's impressive bowling performances went in vain.
England losing to its European neighbors in T20 World Cups is now a regular feature, which started in 2009 against the Netherlands. Batting first against the Dutch side, English openers Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright scored a hundred-run partnership in 11 overs, before a batting collapse resulted in England managing only 162 in 20 overs. Tom de Grooth played a brilliant knock of 49 runs off 30 balls for the Netherlands, before Ryan ten Doeschate helped complete the chase. James Anderson's brilliant effort with the ball could not save the English side from utter humiliation at the hands of the Dutch.
Netherlands' Ryan ten Doeschate celebrates after defeating England in 2009 WC, as England's Staurt Broad is on his knees
The first and probably the biggest upset in the T20 World Cup history was recorded in the inaugural edition in 2007 when Zimbabwe thrashed the Aussies in a closely contested match. Imagine a lineup consisting of players like Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds, Michel Hussey, Brad Hodge and Brad Hayden, could only manage to score 138 against Zimbabwe with no world-class bowler. A star was born in Zimbabwean cricket on that day, when a 21-years old batter, Brendon Taylor, stepped up and secured a memorable win with his 60 not out off 45 balls, he went on to play over 280 matches for the country and can be regarded as the country's best cricketer after the Flower brothers.
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