The ICC World Cup Qualifiers 2018 is going on in full swing in Zimbabwe. The top two teams from the tournament will qualify for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, which will be held in England and Wales. Even though, matches with minnows are as boring as dead rubber games in a bi-lateral series, there is an occasional upset that occurs. Sometimes, the better team takes it too easy, sometimes the minnows bring their A+ game on the day. Whatever be the reason, these matches become historic just on the basis of their shock value.
Zimbabwe beats Australia (1983 World Cup)
Led by Duncan Fletcher (who coached India recently), Zimbabwe pulled off a miraculous upset victory against Australia. The likes of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson couldn’t do much, and Fletcher starred with both bat and ball for Zimbabwe. He scored and unbeaten 69 and grabbed four wickets for 42 runs.
Bangladesh beats Pakistan (1999 World Cup)
A Saqlain Mushtaq five-for reduced Bangladesh to just 223, but you couldn’t have asked for a more colossal collapse from the Pakistani batsmen. The men in green were reduced to 5 for 42, before the lower order salvaged some pride for them. Still, Bangladesh recorded a comfortable 62-run victory.
Kenya beats Sri Lanka (2003 World Cup)
Kenya triumphed against a side full of cricketing giants like Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan. They didn’t bat particularly well, scoring just 210 runs. However, Collins Obuya produced a five-wicket haul that demolished the island nation’s batting order.
Ireland beats Pakistan (2007 World Cup)
A great day in the history of Irish cricket, this was an unforgettable match to say the least. Pakistan were bundled out for just 132, thanks to some solid bowling by all six Irish bowlers. Pakistan did bounce back with the ball, but the target proved too low to defend and Ireland won by three wickets.
Featured image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
