Top 5 upsets that no one saw coming in World Cup

Cricket is a game of uncertainty as it’s witnessed a lot of times in the One-Day International (ODI) World Cups. Back in the 1996 World Cup, when Kenya beat the star-studded West Indies, it became clear to players and fans of this sport that no team should be taken lightly, when it comes to competing in a marquee event such as the World Cup.

In the 1999 World Cup, cricket supporters were left stunned when Bangladesh hammered Pakistan by 62 runs. The defeat shocked every Pakistan supporter as no one was expecting the in-form Men in Green to be cut down to size by an inexperienced Bangladesh side. Following both upsets, some other turnarounds have also happened in the ODI World Cups in the 21st century that shocked the ardent supporters of this game.

Here are five upsets that no one saw coming in World Cups: 

5. England vs Ireland in 2011

Ireland were playing their second World Cup edition in the 2011 World Cup. After losing their opening game to hosts Bangladesh, they next clashed with England at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru. England captain Andrew Strauss emerged victorious at the toss and chose to bat first. 

Against an inexperienced Irish side, England's batters looked confident with the bat and scored 327 runs in their 50 overs. Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell scored 92 (92) and 81 (86) respectively, while Kevin Pietersen also played his part excellently as an opener, with his swift 59-run innings (50 balls). 

Chasing the massive total, Ireland lost their skipper William Porterfield on a duck on the first delivery of their innings. After the early loss, Paul Stirling and Ed Joyce strived to stabilise the Irish innings with their 32-run knocks each but the team found themselves in deep waters after half the side got dismissed at the score of 111.

Things completely changed for the Irish side post the arrival of Kevin O’Brien and Alex Cusack. Kevin took the English bowling unit to the cleaners and went on to smack the fastest ton (50 balls) in the history of the World Cup. Kevin got the support of Cusack, who stood in the middle and played a fine knock of 47 off 58. The right-handed batter went back to the pavilion after scoring 113 off 63 but his compatriot John Mooney played an unbeaten 33-run knock off 30 deliveries and helped Ireland register a historic three-wicket victory.