Top 5 greatest upsets in ODI cricket history

The idea of an underdog undoing the champion has been romanticised in popular culture since the beginning of time. The unpredictable nature of sport is part of the charm that gives rise to Hollywood narratives like the movie Rocky, which details the journey of the little guy, who persevered and conquered.

In this segment, we look at some of the biggest upsets in the history of One Day International cricket, since its inception in 1971. Let us take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of the most enthralling and deafening upsets in the history of One Day International cricket.

#5 Australia vs Bangladesh, 2nd Match, NatWest Series at Cardiff, Jun 18 2005

Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. They had a poor start as both Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting were dismissed early and they found themselves at 9/2 in the sixth over of the game. Fifties from Damien Martyn and Michael Clarke stabilised the innings in the middle overs. A brisk partnership between Michael Hussey and Simon Katich ensured that Australia finished strong at 249/5 at the end of 50 overs.

250 was always going to be a challenge for Bangladesh against a strong bowling line-up comprising of Glenn McGrath, Michael Kasprowicz, Jason Gillespie, and Brad Hogg. Bangladesh had a tentative start. They weren't ahead of the chase but were never out of it. They were at 72/3 at the end of 21 overs.

The partnership for the fourth wicket between captain Habibul Bashar and centurion Mohammad Ashraful was the game changer. Aftab Ahmed scored a brisk cameo to seal it for Bangladesh, who managed one of the greatest upsets in the history of ODI cricket by beating what many considered the most dangerous ODI side at the time.

#4 India vs Bangladesh, 8th Match, Group B, ICC World Cup at Port of Spain, Mar 17 2007

Bangladesh produced a magical bowling performance

India, the runners-up from the previous World Cup in 2003, were considered by many to be pre-tournament favourites to reach the semi-final. In their first encounter of the World Cup, they played minnows Bangladesh. The skipper, Rahul Dravid, won the toss and India set out to bat first.

India had a nightmare start as they lost early wickets and could never really control the momentum of the game. They were reduced to 21/2 within the first seven overs. The batsman were patchy and the recovery was not strong as they ultimately struggled to 72/4 in the 25th over.

A good partnership between Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh saw India recover and they looked set for a decent total, given the conditions. A dramatic collapse followed as India went from 157/4 to 159/9 in a span of 15 deliveries. Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel did extremely well with the bat to get India to a respectable score of 191.

Tamil Iqbal provided Bangladesh a fiery start as he scored a brisk half-century to set the chase ablaze. Fifties from Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan ensured that Bangladesh were well on track to complete the win. It seemed like a difficult pitch to bat on but Bangladesh always looked in control as they chased down India's total in the 49th over.

The result was disappointing for India as they were ultimately knocked out of the tournament after losing to Sri Lanka in their final league game. This win paved the way for Bangladesh's qualification to the Super 8 stage and finish 7th, their best ever in World Cups.

#3 Ireland vs England, 15th Match, Group B (D/N), ICC Cricket World Cup at Bengaluru, Mar 2 2011

Kevin O'Brien played a magical knock that helped his side upset England

There is something about Kevin O'Brien and the way he goes about things. Irish cricket will always cherish the berserk knock that he played against England in the 2011 World Cup.

England won the toss and batted first and they batted brilliantly. Kevin Pietersen (59 off 50 balls), Jonathan Trott (92 off 92 balls) and Ian Bell (81 off 86 balls) all scored genius knocks and helped England amass a monumental score of 327/8 in 50 overs.

Ireland were struggling from the word go. They lost William Porterfield, the skipper on the first ball of the innings. Paul Stirling (32 off 28 balls), Ed Joyce (32 off 61 balls) and Niall O'Brien (29 off 36 balls) all got in and got out.

Ireland lost the plot, and were reeling at 111/5 in the 25th over of the match.And then, the magic began. Kevin O'Brien and Alex Cusack put on 162 off 103 deliveries, in what was a match-turning partnership. John Mooney's cameo helped Ireland seal a famous win.

#2 Pakistan vs Ireland, 9th Match, Group D, ICC World Cup at Kingston, Mar 17 2007

Group D, Ireland v Pakistan - Cricket World Cup 2007

St. Patrick's Day on 2007, will be mentioned as long as cricket historians exist. Two Asian giants were upset on the same day. India were beaten by Bangladesh and Pakistan by Ireland. Consequentially Pakistan were knocked out immediately and India would get knocked upon losing to Sri Lanka. Maybe, the Caribbean air and the cricketing Gods conspired to wreak havoc in an otherwise steady world.

Pakistan had already lost to West Indies in the tournament opener. Zimbabwe and Ireland had played out an exhilarating tie. The stakes were high and Ireland thrived with the ball. Having won the toss, Ireland elected to field first.

Pakistan had a poor start and were reduced to 15/2 in the fourth over. They had a good recovery and were 56/2 in the 13th over before collapsing to 72/6 in the 21st. Ireland steamrolled the opposition into submission as they dismissed Pakistan for 132 in the 46th over of the innings.

In response, Ireland chased down a reduced target (due to rain match was reduced to 47 overs) with 32 balls to spare. Niall O'Brien was the hero with the bat as he smashed 72 off 107 deliveries. This was one of the biggest upsets in world cricket up till then. This was Ireland's first World Cup and they shocked the world by making it to the Super 8. Pakistan exited the tournament on the back of this defeat.

#1 India vs West Indies, Final, Prudential World Cup at London, Jun 25 1983

Kapil Dev with the 1983 World Cup

Clive Lloyd's West Indies is still considered by many as the greatest side ever in ODI history. The 1983 World Cup was the stuff of legends. The setting could not be more perfect. The ultimate underdog against a true champion side.

West Indies had won the inaugural World Cup in 1975 and followed it up with another win in 1979. The defending champions were overwhelming favourites to win again. India had actually shocked the World by beating West Indies earlier in the World Cup. Many believed, that was a one-off incident and could not possibly happen again.

On a grassy surface, West Indies won the toss and put India in. Sunil Gavaskar was dismissed early. Kris Srikkanth, Mohinder Amarnath, and Sandeep Patil all got starts but could not convert them into big scores. India's late middle order didn't have much to show as India stuttered to 130/7. A bit of resilience from the tail-enders helped India post 183.

West Indies, with batsmen like Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, and Desmond Haynes would have been favourites to chase it down. However, the Indian bowlers produced a magical performance that ensured West Indies were bowled out for 140.

Mohinder Amarnath and Madan Lal produced amazing performances. India finally beat the West Indies by 43 runs to script the biggest upset in ODI history.