With the T20 World Cup coming to a close, England were crowned victors for only the second time in the nation’s history. As is always the case, the tournament wasn’t without its surprises – here is a look at the most outrageous upsets in T20 World Cup history.
Namibia vs Sri Lanka (2022)
The first entry on this list comes from this year’s tournament, where Namibia were absolute outsiders to win group A. The Eagles had T20 World Cup odds of 10/1 to emerge as group victors, compared to a near-certainty for Sri Lanka at 1/12, who came into the competition on the back of five straight wins to clinch the Asia Cup. Nevertheless, Namibia got their campaign off to a flying start.
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Batting first in Australia were the Eagles, who didn’t really get going until Jan Frylinck entered the crease. At 76-4 off 11.5 overs, Namibia were going about their business cautiously, before a staggering 44 (28) from Frylinck combined with a 31* from JJ Smit set Sri Lanka a difficult but not unsurmountable chase of 163/7. Namibia came out flying with the ball, though, with Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka scoring 29 (23) being the highlight, the Lions reduced to a measly 108 all out with an over remaining.
Afghanistan vs West Indies (2016)
The eventual winners of the 2016 tournament, West Indies weren’t without their flaws in India. Despite beating England (twice), Sri Lanka, South Africa and the holders, they collapsed against Afghanistan in their first-ever meeting together. The West Indians appeared to have it all wrapped up with the ball, reducing Afghanistan to just 123/7 in their innings, which could have been a lot worse had Najibullah Zadran not posted a crucial 48* off 40 deliveries.
However, the Windies never really got going with the bat. Openers Johnson Charles and Evin Lewis managed just 22 between them – Lewis being caught for a duck on seven balls – before the middle-order batsmen could do little better. Dwayne Bravo appeared to be leading the charge with his 28 (29), but after he was dismissed with West Indies on 79/4, the capitulation became evident. Four wickets for less than 30 runs saw the Windies post just 117/8, suffering a rare nightmare in the middle in an otherwise flawless 2016 campaign.
Netherlands vs England (2009)
England hosted the second T20 World Cup after South Africa had held the inaugural competition in 2007. They boasted an all-star team that would go on to beat eventual champions Pakistan and defending champions India in the 2009 edition of the tournament before a hat-trick of Ashes series wins later that year. However, against T20 minnows The Netherlands, who were playing their first-ever match in the competition, England came unstuck.
They batted first and posted a respectable 162/5, with openers Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright reaching a century partnership, posting a combined 117 between them. The middle order had little else to offer, though, with Paul Collingwood the next highest on 11 (10). When Netherlands finally got going, England looked to be in real trouble. After a slow start to the innings, Tom de Grooth (49) and Peter Borren (30) took their first T20 World Cup by storm, with a respectable 22* (17) from Ryan ten Doeschate securing a memorable opening day victory for the Dutch.
A tournament that is never shy of surprises or excitement, the T20 World Cup never seems to disappoint. Cricket fans around the world will be eagerly awaiting to see what 2024 has in store, which is set to take place in West Indies and the United States – for the latter nation, the first time in its history.
