The USA men’s cricket team is close to advancing to the second round (Super 8s) of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which would be a big surprise. This comes after they had a shock win against Pakistan a couple of days ago and some favorable results over the weekend.
Team U.S.A. is currently second in Group A with four points from two wins in two games, the same as India, who are at the top because of a better run rate. The top two teams from each group will move on to the Super 8s.
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To advance, the USA must either pull off another huge upset by beating India in New York on Wednesday or the struggling Irish team on Friday in Lauderhill, Florida. If they win one of these games, they will earn six points and move to the next round.
The USA game would be a never-expected challenge for Rohit Sharma and his men in blue. With the discipline and the firepower USA has shown during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 so far, it would be fair to say that they would be eyeing to beat India and be the first team from group A to enter into the Super 8s.
It would be a big surprise for everyone in cricket if a team like the USA beats India, one of the tournament favorites, in their upcoming match. India has had some unexpected losses in past ICC tournaments and they don’t want it to happen again. Let’s look at the times when India was previously upset by lower-ranked teams in ICC tournaments.
Bangladesh vs India – 2007 World Cup
Bangladesh caused the first upset of the tournament by thoroughly outplaying India in all areas. India’s batsmen struggled against the new ball and Bangladesh’s left-arm spinners, collapsing for just 191 runs. When Bangladesh chased the target, three young players – Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mushfiqur Rahim – scored fifties on their World Cup debut to lead Bangladesh to a splendid victory. India’s experienced batsmen were outperformed by the young Bangladeshi players.
In that match, Tamim Iqbal scored for Bangladesh with 51 runs, Shakib Al Hasan made a brilliant 53, and Mushfiqur Rahim added 56 not out.
1999 India lost to Zimbabwe
In the 1999 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Zimbabwe played against India and secured a narrow victory. Zimbabwe batted first and scored 252 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 50 overs. Andy Flower was the top scorer for Zimbabwe with an unbeaten 68 runs off 85 balls. Other contributions came from Grant Flower, who scored 45 runs off 89 balls. For India, Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad were the standout bowlers, each taking 2 wickets with Srinath conceding 35 runs in his 10 overs and Prasad giving away 37 runs in his 10 overs.
India, chasing a target of 253, managed to score 249 runs before being bowled out in 45 overs, falling short by just 3 runs. Sadagoppan Ramesh was the top scorer for India with 55 runs off 77 balls, and Ajay Jadeja contributed 43 runs off 76 balls. For Zimbabwe, Heath Streak and Henry Olonga were the key bowlers. Streak took 3 wickets for 36 runs in his 9 overs, and Olonga took 3 wickets for just 22 runs in his 4 overs, playing a crucial role in Zimbabwe’s victory.
Sri Lanka beat India in 1979 World Cup
Another major upset for India by a minnow team came when Sri Lanka played against India in the Prudential World Cup 1979. Sri Lanka batted first and scored 238 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their allotted 60 overs. Sunil Wettimuny was the top scorer for Sri Lanka with 67 runs off 120 balls, and Duleep Mendis contributed a quick 64 runs off 57 balls. For India, Mohinder Amarnath was the most successful bowler, taking 3 wickets for 40 runs in his 12 overs, while Kapil Dev took 1 wicket for 53 runs in his 12 overs.
In reply, India struggled and were bowled out for 191 runs in 54.1 overs. Dilip Vengsarkar was the top scorer for India with 36 runs off 57 balls, and Anshuman Gaekwad scored 33 runs off 52 balls. For Sri Lanka, Somachandra De Silva was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3 wickets for 29 runs in his 11 overs. Tony Opatha also bowled effectively, taking 3 wickets for 31 runs in his 10.1 overs, helping Sri Lanka secure a memorable victory over India.
If the USA manages to upset India in their upcoming match, it would send shockwaves through the cricketing world, marking one of the most significant upsets in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup history.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye
