Everyone loves an underdog story in every field of life. Sports all over the world have seen some beautiful underdog stories. Some teams look like the favorites who usually win the whole thing, but when a team that no one expected to perform well defeats one of such teams and progresses forward, the sporting world gets shocked. The same can be said to also happen in Cricket. We’ve seen countries doing things that no one expected them to. In this article, let’s see the top 10 underdog runs in Cricket tournaments.
1. Sri Lanka – Asia Cup, 2022
Leading up to the Asia Cup 2022, Sri Lanka was not the favorite to win the Asia Cup 2022. India and Pakistan were the favorites, according to the bookies. The start of their campaign was also something they would have liked to forget when they lost one-sidedly against Afghanistan since, at that point, Sri Lanka went on a winning spree by defeating Hong Kong, Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan to reach the final against Pakistan. In the Final, they put up a sensational bowling display against Pakistan to get a 23-run win and become the Asian Champions
2. England – T20 World Cup, 2010
In 2010, when the 3rd T20 World Cup took place, no one thought that England would go on to win the whole World Cup. The Carribean-hosted World Cup did not start well for the Englishmen. During their first game against the hosts, West Indies, England got defeated by eight wickets, and their second game against a weaker Ireland got washed out. Their qualification looked hard, but England won all its remaining group games against Pakistan, South Africa, and New Zealand. In the Semis, they defeated Sri Lanka convincingly to reach the final against the favorites, Australia, and won it against them.
3. West Indies – Champions Trophy, 2004
At the start of the Champions Trophy 2004, no one was confident about that West Indies could even make the semifinals. They were not the powerhouse of cricket that people had known them for. They steam-rolled past every opposition they met in the tournament, defeating Bangladesh, South Africa, and Pakistan, and a tight final victory against England, making them the Champions.
4. New Zealand - ICC Knockout Trophy, 2000
New Zealand, in 2000, was not the same team we see nowadays. Then, New Zealand was not considered the favorite for any tournament. Even when they went up against Zimbabwe in Quarters, they were not the favorites but came out as winners. They defeated the arch-rivals Pakistan and India in the semis and Final, respectively.
5. Kenya – World Cup, 2003
Kenya’s World Cup campaign is the only instance in the list where the country did not end up as the champions, but their run was remarkable. Kenya was an associate nation in the World Cup, who, as per the bookies, were there only to participate. But as the tournament started, we saw the best run an associate team has done in a World Cup. They defeated Canada, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe to reach the Semi-final. They did lose against India but truly gave us a run to remember.
6. Pakistan – Champions Trophy, 2017
At the start of the Champions Trophy 2017, the only two clear favorites being talked about by the bookies were India and England. Pakistan was having a dark time in their history, but the Sarfaraz-led team showed how an underdog team can go all the way. They did not have the best start, losing comprehensively against India, but then they went on a winning spree, defeating South Africa and Sri Lanka. In the semifinal, they beat the favorites, England, to set up a final against arch-rivals India. They beat India in a dominating fashion to win the whole thing.
7. Sri Lanka – World Cup, 1996
Sri Lanka, before 1996, was not considered a team that would be a threat for any tournament favorite to fear. India and Pakistan were the only Asian powerhouses known at that point. In the World Cup, no team could defeat Sri Lanka. They beat Zimbabwe, India, Kenya, and England. In the Semis, they defeated India again on their home soil. In the final, they met the favorites, Australia, where they won by seven wickets and became World Champions.
8. India – T20 World Cup, 2007
India faced a humiliating exit in the one-day World Cup in 2007. When the inaugural T20 World Cup was to come, many big names took their names out. BCCI announced a young team led by M.S. Dhoni. The start was not as expected as India lost to New Zealand. In the next game, they faced arch-rivals Pakistan, and a tight game ended in an Indian victory. Since then, we saw them defeating heavyweights like England and Australia to reach the finals and get matched again with Pakistan. The final was a treat to watch, where India won by five runs to become the Champions.
9. Pakistan – World Cup, 1992
One of the best underdog stories comes from 1992 in the World Cup by Pakistan. It was the first World Cup in colored jerseys, and Pakistan was not even the favorite green jersey team. Especially after losing to India and South Africa, the chances of them qualifying were minimal. Since then, they went on a winning spree, defeating Australia, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand to reach the finals against England, where they became World Champions.
10. India – World Cup, 1983
This story was probably the first and the most beautiful underdog lore, especially for the Indians. India in 1983 was a team that was a laughing stock in front of the bookies. The Kapil Dev-led team needed a win after losing to Australia and West Indies. In the match against Zimbabwe, India was 17/5 and then came the captain, who scored 175 runs that led them to fight for the title. India defeated England in the semi-final and the mighty West Indies to win the World Cup.
