Five great upsets at the Cricket World Cup 

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup trophy is pictured before the start of the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match between England and Bangladesh at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on October 10, 2023. (AFP/File)
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Updated 16 October 2023
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Five great upsets at the Cricket World Cup 

  • Afghanistan defeated England on Sunday in first big upset of 2023 tournament
  • AFP Sports looks at five stunning wins in the history of World Cup tournament

NEW DELHI: Afghanistan defeated defending champions England by 69 runs at the Cricket World Cup on Sunday in the first big upset of the 2023 tournament. 




Afghanistan's Ikram Alikhil celebrates after Rashid Khan bowls out England's Mark Wood to win the match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, India on October 15, 2023. (REUTERS)

AFP Sports looks at five other stunning wins in the history of the tournament: 

Playing in their first ever One-Day International, Zimbabwe stunned an Australian side boasting the likes of Allan Border, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson in the opening game of the tournament at Trent Bridge. 

Batting first, Zimbabwe rode on the back of an undefeated 69 from Duncan Fletcher on their way to 239-6 in 60 overs. 

Kepler Wessels top-scored for Australia but they fell short as Fletcher then starred with the ball taking 4-42 after the Aussies had appeared to be cruising on 61 for no loss at one stage. 




A stunning all-around show put up by skipper Duncan Fletcher as Zimbabwe upset Australia on the first appearance in the World Cup in 1983. (Photo courtesy: ESPNcricinfo)

India shocked the two-time defending champions West Indies in the final having arrived at the World Cup with just 17 wins in their first nine years as an ODI team. 

India managed to score just 183 with Kris Srikkanth the top scorer with a modest 38 as the West Indies pace battery of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall showed no mercy. 

But then Mohinder Armanath (3-12) and Madan Lal (3-31) suffocated the flamboyant West Indies batsmen with Viv Richards managing the top score of 33. 




India's Mohinder Amarnath plays a shot during his crucial knock of 46 against England in the 1983 World Cup semi-final. (Photo courtesy: @cricketworldcup/Twitter/File)

Kenya struggled to 166 all out in this group stage fixture with Courtney Walsh and Roger Harper taking three wickets apiece. 

But in what was heralded as one of the greatest ever shocks at the time, the African nation saw opening bowler Rajab Ali claim the prize wicket of Brian Lara for just eight runs. 

Only Harper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, whose 19 runs occupied 48 balls, reached double figures for the West Indies who were dismissed for just 93. 

Maurice Odombe played a captain’s role with 3-15 from his 10 overs. 




Kenya wicketkeeper Tariq Iqbal and Aasif Karim celebrate as Brian Lara is caught behind off the bowling of Rajab Ali for an 11-ball 8 during the 1996 World Cup. (Photo courtesy: AP/File)

Ireland marked St. Patrick’s Day in style by knocking Pakistan out of the 2007 World Cup in Jamaica. 

The Irish attack skittled out the Asian giants for just 132, with future England paceman Boyd Rankin taking three wickets. 

Ireland suffered a collapse of their own before Kevin O’Brien and Trent Johnston saw them to victory. 

But there was a grim postscript to the match when Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, the former England batsman, died in his hotel room that night. 




In this file photo Niall O’Brien plays a shot as Ireland upset Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup. (Photo courtesy: Wisden/website)

England piled up a seemingly imposing 327 for eight, with Jonathan Trott making 92 and Ian Bell 81 although John Mooney’s four-wicket haul prevented a larger total. 

In reply, Ireland lost skipper William Porterfield before they’d scored a run but Kevin O’Brien seized his chance to shine by smashing a World Cup hundred off just 50 balls, with 13 fours and six sixes. 

After he was out, Mooney’s 33 not out sealed a stunning win with five balls to spare. 




England cricketers congratulate teammate James Anderson after taking the wicket of Ireland's William Porterfield during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on March 2, 2011. (AFP/File)

 


DeChambeau, Crushers GC lead LIV Singapore at halfway mark

Updated 13 March 2026
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DeChambeau, Crushers GC lead LIV Singapore at halfway mark

  • A second-round 6-under 65 has DeChambeau at 10-under through 36 holes

SINGAPORE: Entering Friday, Bryson DeChambeau is tied atop a bunched leaderboard at Aramco LIV Golf Singapore.

After shooting the round of the week, a second-round six-under 65, he sits at 10-under through 36 holes. The Crushers GC captain enters the weekend with a three-shot lead.

After beginning his second round with back-to-back pars, he birdied the third, fourth and eighth holes, making the turn in 32 strokes. His back nine was smooth-sailing until the par-four 15th, when he overdrew an iron off the tee into the harbor.

After taking a drop, he scrambled for a hard-earned bogey, protecting his lead in the process. And bounced back immediately, making a birdie on the 16th. For the round, he finished with a total of six birdies, an eagle and the lone bogey on 15.

“Focus on my golf, what I can control,” said DeChambeau of his mindset.

“I know it’s cliche, but you can’t get too wrapped up with what everybody else is doing and making sure I’m starting it on my lines the way I need to and rolling the putts on my lines like I need to. Barring that, I think I can give myself a good chance.”

DeChambeau’s closest competitors are three shots back at seven-under and include Thomas Detry, Jon Rahm, Louis Oosthuizen, Lee Westwood and Richard T. Lee.

Detry of 4Aces GC is fresh off a runner-up finish at HSBC LIV Golf Hong Kong and has carried that momentum into Singapore. His round included a chip-in eagle on the 18th hole (his 16th of the day) off the back of the green from 37 meters away.

The Belgian remains confident heading into the final two rounds. “I’m up for the challenge,” he said. “It’s definitely a challenge out there, so anything under par is pretty good, and I managed to do that pretty well.”

Hong Kong winner Rahm continues to lurk dangerously on the leaderboard. The Legion XIII captain made 11 consecutive pars from holes five to 17 before finishing his round with a birdie on the par-five 18th to finish at seven-under.

“I played really good today. Felt like I played actually significantly better than yesterday, just little margins,” Rahm said. “Couldn’t really make many putts out there today. Made that one on six and from then on missed a lot of birdie chances.”

Oosthuizen shot a four-under 67 that included six birdies and two bogeys. The Southern Guards GC captain has been fueled by a hot putter and ranks fifth in the field in Strokes Gained Putting at the halfway stage.

“I tried to give myself as many birdie putts as possible,” said Oosthuizen. “I felt I saw the greens really good today, the lines, and rolled the putter really good.”

Westwood, in just his second start after returning from a wrist injury, continues to play steady golf. The Majesticks Golf Club co-captain shot a three-under 68 that included five birdies and two bogeys.

Lee, who is looking to become the first LIV Golf Wild Card to finish better than 12th in a tournament, shot a three-under 68.

Matthew Wolff, Marc Leishman and Charles Howell III all shot three-under 68s as well and are four shots back of DeChambeau at six-under.

On the team leaderboard, the Crushers GC surged to the top after carding a cumulative 10-under for the day. They hold a three-shot lead over the first-round leaders, Legion XIII.

The champions from Hong Kong, 4Aces GC, are just one shot back of Legion XIII and four shots behind the Crushers.