Top 10 Surprising Cricket Games

An upset comes as a whiff of fresh air for fans and pundits who are tired of seeing the same result again and again. The sport of cricket has been witness to many memorable games which have seen the underdogs come out on top. Some were due to rearguard action, some due to tight bowling and others due to dogged batting in the face of quality opposition.

Whatever be the reason, the minnows not only brought joy to their supporters, but also to a few people in the betting world. These people took their chance and trusted their instinct, and reaped rich dividends.

One normally sees fewer upsets in cricket than say football or tennis. Given the length of the game, it is tough for the underdog to play out of their skins for 100 overs. But with the introduction of T20, upsets are becoming more common. Let us take a look at some giant killing acts from the game. After all they don't say, "The game is not over until the last ball is bowled" for nothing, do they?

1. Zimbabwe vs. Australia, Trent Bridge, June 9, 1983

The first game to be played in Group B in the 1983 World Cup saw ODI debutants Zimbabwe shock Australia by 13 runs. The Africans rode on the back of a well compiled 69 from Captain Duncan Fletcher to get to 239/7 in their allotted quota of sixty overs. Fletcher then returned with the cherry in his hand to dismiss Wood, his opposite number Kim Hughes, David Hookes and Graham Yallop- four of Australia's top five, as the Kangaroos fell short by 13 runs. Fletcher earned the MoM for his match winning performance, and the win still ranks as Zimbabwe's greatest of all time.

2. India vs. West Indies, Lords, June 25, 1983

Sixteen days after Duncan Fletcher's men had shocked Australia, Kapil Dev and his band of merry men were facing the Himalayan task of stopping the mighty West Indies from making it three in a row. Despite India having beaten the West Indies once in the group stages, few were betting on them to repeat that again. Clive Lloyd won the toss and put India into bat. The feared West Indian bowling quartet of Garner, Holding, Marshall and Roberts restricted India to 183. The turning point of the game came when Viv Richards, who had hit seven fours in a 27 ball 32, was dismissed by Madan Lal with Kapil Dev taking a splendid backward running catch. The Indian medium pace bowlers did their job extremely well, and when Michael Holding was trapped in front by Mohinder Amarnath, Kapil's Devils had given the World Cup its first sub-continental winner.

3. Zimbabwe vs. England, Abury, March 18, 1992

Like they did nine years ago, Zimbabwe left their mark on another World Cup with an upset win, this time over eventual runners up England. And like 1983, it was to be their only win in the tournament. Put in first, the Zimbabweans were bowled out for 135, with Botham and Illingworth taking three wickets each. It was the last group game for both the teams and after the Zimbabwean batting display, everybody expected England to cruise to victory. But chicken farmer Eddo Brandes threw a spanner in the works with an inspired display of swing bowling, sending Gooch, Lamb, Hick and Smith back to the pavilion. His 4/21 helped Zimbabwe to win the game by nine runs, and also got him the MoM.

4. Kenya vs. West Indies, Pune, February 29, 1996

Every year divisible by 4 is a leap year, and 1996 was one such year. And the Kenyans celebrated February 29 by stunning the West Indies in Pune to secure what was to be their only win in the 1996 World Cup. The West Indies came into this match looking for an easy win, having lost 2 of their previous three league games. Only three Kenyans scored 20 or more, and their highest partnership was a 44 run stand for the seventh wicket between Hitesh Modi and Thomas Odoyo. Walsh took three wickets as Kenya were shot out for 166, but the West Indies conceded 37 extras, a figure which would make their defeat all the more embarrassing. Rajab Ali and Maurice Odumbe then bowled the spells of their lives, picking up three wickets apiece. Barring Chanderpaul and Harper, nobody else went into double digits, and the West Indies folded up for 93, their second lowest total in World Cup history. It was Kenya's first official ODI win, and it was also the first time in seven games that the team batting first had won at the Nehru stadium.

5. Bangladesh vs. Pakistan, Northampton, May 31, 1999

The second last game in Group B saw undefeated Pakistan take on lowly Bangladesh. Bangaldesh's only win in the tournament had come against everybody's favorite whipping boys Scotland. Wasim Akram won the toss and chose to bowl. The Pakistani bowlers took wickets at regular intervals, and Akram Khan top scored for Bangladesh with 42. Behind him were Mr. Extras with 40, and Shahriar Hossain with 39. Khaled Mahmud opened the bowling for the Tigers, and wove his magic with a spell of 3/31, overshadowing Saqlain Mushtaq's 5/35. Wasim Akram and Azhar Mahmood jointly top scored with 29 each as the much vaunted Pakistani batting lineup crumbled in the face of some determined and accurate bowling from their opponents. They eventually fell 62 runs short.

6. Canada vs. Bangladesh, Durban, February 11, 2003

Canada were making an appearance at the quadrennial extravaganza after a period of 24 years. There weren't high hopes from the team, but the supporters did want it to be competitive. Joe Harris won the toss, and Canada batted decently to post a target of 181 for Bangladesh to chase. It wasn't a match winning total, but it was certainly Canada's highest at the World Cup. Hannan Sarkar and Al Sahariar took Bangladesh past 30 in the first six overs, but after that it was all Canada. Austin Codrington ran through the lower order, and Bangladesh lost their last five wickets for 12 runs, as the Canadians celebrated their return with a sixty run win.

7. Kenya vs. Sri Lanka, Nairobi, February 27, 2003

Seven years ago, in the 1996 World Cup, the Kenyans were slaughtered by Sri Lanka at Kandy. The Islanders wrote themselves and the hapless Kenyans into the record books by smashing 398/5 in their allotted quota of 50 overs. Collins Obuya was a teenager at that time. And in 2003, it was time for the Kenyans to extract revenge for their thrashing. A Kennedy Otieno half century and useful contributions from Maurice Odumbe and Hitesh Modi saw Kenya reach 210/9. The Sri Lankan middle order couldn't decipher Obuya, and he snapped up Tillekeratne, De Silva, Jayawardene, Sangakarra and Vaas as Kenya ran out victors by 43 runs.

8. Bangladesh vs. Australia, Cardiff, June 18, 2005

It was cricket's version of David vs. Goliath. And not only did Bangladesh win, but they did it by chasing- something that is not too common in upset wins. The Aussies won the toss and got off to the worst possible start when Adam Gilchrist was out LBW on the second ball of the innings. Ponting and Hayden fell soon, and it was left to Damien Martyn and Michael Clarke to stabilize the innings. Simon Katich and Mike Hussey scored quickfire 30's to take Australia to 249/5. In reply, Bangladesh were in trouble at 72/3 in the 21st over, but a fine partnership between Mohammad Ashraful and Habibul Bashar saw the game gradually slip away from the hands of the Aussies. Ashraful scored a fine century, and when he eventually departed, Bangladesh was in the driver's seat. They won with four balls to spare. Another bad day for the online sports betting market, as nobody had predicted Bangladesh to get the better of the Aussies.

9. Ireland vs. Pakistan, Kingston, March 17, 2007

Ireland were playing only their second World Cup game, the first being a thrilling tie against Zimbabwe a few days ago. Some poor batting from Pakistan and some excellent bowling by lanky Boyd Rankin saw the Asians fold up for 132. Ireland, aiming to create history, was set a rain shortened target of 128 in 47 overs. Only two Irishmen reached double figures- Niall O' Brien and his brother Kevin. Niall top scored with 72 as Ireland squeezed home with three wickets to spare.

10. Zimbabwe vs Australia, Cape Town, September 12, 2007

If anybody needed proof of the power of T20, this was it. World Champions Australia opened their campaign against a Zimbabwean side that on paper didn't look good enough to even beat a second string Aussie side, let alone their first 11. Australia, batting first, lost Gilchrist and Hayden to Chigumbura. Ponting too fell cheaply, but Andrew Symonds and Brad Hodge batted sensibly to take the score to 138. Brendan Taylor guided the Zimbabweans home with an unbeaten 60 off 45 balls. Zimbabwe reached their target with one ball and five wickets to spare. Australia had been given a severe shock, and in Harare, it was time to celebrate.

For those into sports betting, take note of the fact that most of the wins took place at the World Cup. In this list, eight of the ten upsets took place at the World Cup, one at the T20 World Championship, and the last one in the Natwest Series.