4 Associate Nations you may not know have a World Cup victory to their name

The Associate Nations gain a huge amount of attention when they take part in the Cricket World Cup. Teams like Afghanistan and Ireland have achieved Test status due to their performances in the limited overs cricket.

While the Afghan team did not perform well at their only World Cup, the Irish team are known as the giant killers of the Cricket World Cup. Unfortunately, there will no associate nation in the 2019 World Cup as it has been reduced to a 10-team tournament which resulted in even the Test playing nations like Zimbabwe and Ireland missing out on a spot.

However, in the history of the World Cup, the associate nations have left their mark and four of them were lucky to earn a victory at the grandest stage.

Here is a list of the four Associate Nations who have won a World Cup match -

(Note - This list only considers the 50 overs World Cup and the Associate nations who have not achieved Test status yet)

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#1 The Netherlands - 2 victories

The Dutch won their last WC match against Scotland at the 2007 World Cup

The European nation made its maiden World Cup appearance in 1996, but registered its first victory in the 2003 World Cup. Playing against minnows Namibia, Kloppenburg and van Noortwijk's centuries helped the Netherlands score a mammoth 314/4 in their 50 overs.

Kloppenburg displayed phenomenal bowling skills too as he scalped 4 Namibian wickets in the second innings. He was ably supported by Adeel Raja's 4 wicket haul as the Dutch won the match by 64 runs.

In the next World Cup in 2007, the Netherlands won their second ever World Cup match when they defeated Scotland in a group stage match. Bowling first, they bowled out the Scottish team for just 136 to chase down the target losing just 2 wickets in 23.5 overs.

Stelling's 3 wicket haul helped Netherlands register their second victory in World Cup match. However, the team failed to win a single match in the 2011 World Cup and has not qualified for the event ever since.

#2 Canada - 2 victories

Henry Osinde's 4 wicket haul against Kenya helped Canada win its 2nd World Cup match in 2011

Canada played its maiden World Cup in 1979 but then had to wait for 24 years to play another one. But the Canadian team made a triumphant return to the World Cup as they caused an upset by defeating Bangladesh in their first WC match in over 2 decades.

After electing to bat first, Billcliff's 42 helped Canada post 180 on the board. The cricket community expected an experienced Bangladesh side to overhaul the target easily, but Codrington's 5 wicket haul shattered the Bangladeshi batting order as they were skittled out for meagre 120. Canada won the match by a decent margin of 60 runs.

Canada failed to win a match in the 2007 World Cup, but won their match against Kenya in the 2011 World Cup. The Canadian bowlers shot out the Kenyan side for 198 after Kenyan skipper Kamande elected to bat first.

Chasing 199, a 132 run partnership between captain Ashish Bagai and A Hansra helped Canada achieve the target with 5 wickets in hand.

#3 United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) - 1 victory

U.A.E defeated the Netherlands to win their first ever World Cup match

The U.A.E registered their first World Cup victory in their maiden appearance itself as they defeated the Netherlands in the 1996 World Cup.

In a group stage match, U.A.E skipper Sultan Zarawani invited the Dutch to bat first. Cantrell and Aponso's vital contributions propelled the Netherlands to a defendable total of 216/9 in their 50 overs. Off-spinner Dukanwala, with figures of 5/29, was the pick of the bowlers for U.A.E.

In reply, the Arab nation led by Saleem Raza's 84, comfortably chased down the target set by the Dutch with 7 wickets in hand. Mohammad Ishaq's 51* off 55 helped U.A.E wrap up the chase quickly.

However, the Emiratis failed to qualify for the World Cup in its next four editions before making to the 2015 WC where they had a winless campaign.

#4 Kenya - 6 victories

Kenya reached the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup

The African nation Kenya shocked the cricket fans by upstaging 2-time champions West Indies in their maiden appearance at the World Cup in 1996.

The 2003 World Cup was the best one for Kenya as they defeated the likes of Canada, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to reach their maiden World Cup semi-final where they were easily defeated by the Indian team.

The Kenyans failed to repeat their magic in the 2007 World Cup as they could win only one match where Steve Tikolo's 72 helped the African side register a 7 wicket victory over Canada. They failed to win a match at the 2011 World Cup and even failed to qualify for the 2015 World Cup despite four associate slots being available.

Which associate nation will you miss the most at the forthcoming World Cup in England? Share your answers in the comments box below.