As England Slump Against Afghanistan, Relive Title Holders' Biggest Upsets In ODI World Cup History

Afghanistan overcame the reigning champions England on Sunday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, causing the first upset of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023.

They currently are in fifth place with just two points after losing to New Zealand in the tournament's opening match. This was their second defeat overall.

Their lone victory came in Dharamsala, where they defeated Shakib Al Hasan's team by 137 runs in their second match against Bangladesh.

But this is not the first time that England has experienced a major tournament upset. The 2019 champions have also previously suffered defeats at the hands of lower-tier teams.

Let's look at England's biggest upsets in ODI World Cups, from Zimbabwe in 1992 to Afghanistan in 2023, even if Afghanistan achieved a historic victory.

In 1992, Zimbabwe defeated England. Warm C

When England lost shockingly to Zimbabwe in the 1992 ODI World Cup, they were taken aback.

At the Lavington Sports Oval in Albury, England bowled first and bowled Zimbabwe out for a meagre score of 134 runs, thanks to three wicket hauls from Ian Botham and Richard Illingworth.

England's middle order collapsed when they were bowled out for 125 in 49.1 overs while chasing the score, losing the match by just nine runs.

The standout player for Zimbabwe was Eddo Barnes, who took four wickets in ten overs while only allowing 21 runs to be scored.

2011 World Cup: Ireland defeated England

England was seen as one of the favourites to win the 2011 World Cup because to their excellent preparation. But things didn't go according to plan, and in the quarterfinals, Sri Lanka eliminated them.

Ireland made history when they defeated England and upset the Andrew Strauss-led team once more.

Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, and Jonathan Trott all struck half-centuries when batting first at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, leading England to a huge total of 327 for 8.

Kevin O'Brien, who made history by blasting the fastest century in the history of the ODI World Cup at the time, destroyed England bowlers all over the pitch.

With the help of 13 boundaries and six maximums, he proceeded to amass 113 runs in 63 balls, leading his team to an unprecedented victory by three wickets.

Bangladesh won the World Cups in 2011 and 2015.

2011: In addition to losing to Ireland, Bangladesh defeated England in the 2011 ODI World Cup held in India.

In Chittagong, Bangladesh held England to a respectable total of 225 runs in spite of half-centuries from Trott and Eoin Morgan.

In pursuit of the objective, Imrul Kayes struck fifty runs, and Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal also made significant hits to lead Bangladesh to a three-wicket victory—one of their greatest victories in the competition's history.

2015: Bangladesh won the 2015 edition of the match against England, defeating them in Adelaide by a margin of 15 runs.

England lost the 2023 World Cup against Afghanistan.

Afghanistan defeated England, the reigning champions, in the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi to record their greatest and most unforgettable victory in the history of the ODI World Cup.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who scored an important 80 runs with the bat, put on a masterful display that helped them win by 69 runs.

However, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Rashid Khan, who each took three wickets to keep Ebflad to 215 runs, supported their side with the ball as they defended the 285-run goal.