From 91/7 To 293/7, Here Are The 5 Best Comebacks In ICC World Cup History

The 13th edition of the ICC World Cup is currently underway. Over the years, the tournament has produced some absolutely remarkable matches. With so much at stake in a competition like the World Cup, the teams give it their all on the field.

And their determination and resilience have seen them stage some absolutely stunning comebacks in the games. The cricketing world has witnessed some unbelievable comebacks by teams in World Cups. From pulling off improbable chases to turning the situation around in remarkable fashion, these matches have left an indelible mark on cricketing lore.

Through this article, we are taking a look at five such games in the World Cup where teams defied all the odds to end up on the winning side.

5 Best Comebacks In World Cup History

5. England vs Zimbabwe, 1992

One of the greatest upsets in the history of the ODI World Cups took place in the 1992 edition when tournament favorites England locked horns against Zimbabwe. England were the runners-up of the last edition and had won 5 of their first 7 games (1 game was washed out). Zimbabwe, on the other hand, had lost all of their seven games.

England were widely expected to win the game and their win looked more than likely when they bowled out the African outfit for a paltry total of 134 runs. Ian Botham and Richard Illingworth picked up 3 wickets each to put England in the driver’s seat.

Zimbabwe, however, were determined to bow out of the World Cup with a win and they went on to produce one of the greatest comebacks in the World Cups. Eddo Brandes dismissed Graham Gooch on the very first ball and England kept losing wickets at regular intervals after that. They were eventually bowled out for 125 runs to lose the game by 9 runs.

4. Scotland vs Afghanistan, 2015

Scotland were expected to beat Afghanistan when they played against each other in the 2015 World Cup. While Scotland were playing their third World Cup, Afghanistan were appearing in the competition for the very first time.

Afghanistan, however, put themselves in the driver’s seat by bowling out Scotland for 210 runs. Shapoor Zadran picked up 4 wickets while Dawlat Zadran took 3. They began their chase on a good note too as the openers added 42 runs for the first wicket before Scotland hit back by taking a flurry of wickets. In no time, they reduced Afghanistan to 97 for 7.

With more than 100 runs still needed, the game looked all but over for the tournament debutants. However, their no.4 batsman Samiullah Shenwari came up with a brilliant knock to help his side stage a remarkable comeback. He scored 96 runs before losing his wicket when his team needed 18 runs. Scotland were still in the driver’s seat but Afghanistan’s tailenders managed to guide their team to a historic win.

3. Australia vs England, 2003

Any match between bitter rivals Australia and England hardly disappoints and the game between them in the 2003 World Cup was not an exception either. Batting first, England were well placed at 72 for 1 before suffering an inexplicable collapse that saw them getting reduced to 87 for 5. Alec Stewart (46) and Andrew Flintoff (45) then helped England post a respectable total of 204 for 8.

Andy Bichel was the destructor-in-chief with the ball, taking a career-best 7 for 20 off his 10 overs. Australia were expected to register a comfortable win but England had other ideas. Andy Caddick rocked their top-order with a 4-wicket haul and the reigning champions found themselves reeling at 48 for 4.

Darren Lehmann and Michael Bevan steadied the ship and took the score past the 100-run mark but Australia suffered another collapse and saw them getting reduced to 135 for 8. But Bevan and Bichel shared an unbeaten stand of 73 runs to take Australia home against all the odds.

2. India vs Zimbabwe 1983:

India had their back against the wall after losing two games in a row when they locked horns against Zimbabwe in the must-win clash to keep their campaign alive. However, the top-order batters failed to live up to the expectations. India were reeling at 17 for 5 and were looking destined to suffer a humiliating defeat.

But captain Kapil Dev was not ready to throw in the towel yet. The legendary allrounder came up with one of the greatest ODI knocks of all time to propel India to 266 for 8. He smashed an unbeaten 175 off just 138 balls with the help of 16 fours and 6 sixes. India then bowled out Zimbabwe for 235 before going on to win the World Cup as well.

1. Australia vs Afghanistan 2023:

While Afghanistan had already defeated England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands in the competition, not many were expecting them to beat five-time world champions Australia who were on a five-match winning streak. But Afghanistan did not put a foot wrong for most part of the game and were looking destined to register another historic win before a monumental effort from Glenn Maxwell powered Australia to a famous win.

Batting first, Afghanistan posted a competitive total of 291 for 5 in the allotted 50 overs with opener Ibrahim Zadran scoring a sublime century. In reply, Australia made a disastrous start and were reeling at 91 for 7. Their chances of winning the game looked as good as over. However, Maxwell had other ideas.

The hard-hitting batsman struggled with a back injury and cramp and went on to play a historic knock of 201 not out to take his team home in the 47th over. He shared an unbeaten partnership of 202 runs with captain Pat Cummins who scored 12 off 68 balls. He became the first Australian to score an ODI double-century and also the first in the world to do so while chasing.