3 biggest upsets in international cricket in 2022
Cricket, they say, is a game of glorious uncertainties. And so, even though the top sides are expected to beat lower-ranked teams on a frequent basis, there will be days when the reverse happens. The same is true, especially in white-ball formats, particularly in T20 cricket. A great batting performance or one sensational spell could be enough to catch a strong team off guard.
If we talk of 2022, the T20 World Cup in Australia produced a number of upsets, one of them being Zimbabwe stunning Pakistan by one run in the Super 12 encounter at the Perth Stadium.
Pakistan did well to restrict Zimbabwe to 130 in 20 overs after losing the toss and bowling first. However, Zimbabwe's bowlers were equally brilliant in response and held Pakistan to 129/8, with a not fully fit Shaheen Afridi getting run-out off the last ball.
The 2022 T20 World Cup might as well go down in cricket history as a tournament of upsets. As the year draws to a close, we look back at three of the biggest upsets of 2022 in international cricket, all of which came during the ICC event Down Under.
#1 Namibia beat Sri Lanka by 55 runs
Namibia set the tone for the underdogs in the T20 World Cup, shocking Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka by 55 runs in the tournament opener in Geelong. The Lankans won the toss and opted to bowl first. Their bowlers did a good job of reducing Namibia to 93/6 by the 15th over.
Jan Frylinck (44 off 28) and JJ Smit (31* off 16) led Namibia’s fightback with an impressive seventh-wicket stand of 70. Still, Lanka would have been confident of chasing down 164 at the halfway stage of the game.
Namibia, however, came up with an exceptional bowling performance that never gave Sri Lanka even a sniff of winning the match. The script went completely awry for the Lankans as they stumbled to 108 all out in 19 overs.
Kusal Mendis (six), Pathum Nissanka (nine), and Danushka Gunathilaka (0) all fell inside the powerplay as Sri Lanka slumped to 21/3.
In last 3 months
Ireland have their first T20I series win against Afghanistan.
Afg start Asia Cup with a mammoth win against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka bounced back and won Asia Cup TITLE.
In their next T20I match, Namibia beat them.
Namibia however didn't make it to Super-12s.
Skipper Dasun Shanaka (29) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (20) were the only Lankan batters to reach the 20-run mark. They too could not carry on after getting starts.
The unforgettable winning moment for Namibia came when David Wiese had Dushmantha Chameera (eight) caught at deep mid-wicket off a slower delivery.
#2 Scotland beat West Indies by 42 runs
West Indies have been on a downslide across formats over the last few years. They were not expected to have it easy against Scotland in the T20 World Cup 2022 match in Hobart. But not many would have bet against them getting the better of the Scots. As things turned out, Scotland pulled off another upset in the ICC event.
West Indies won the toss and decided to bowl first. Scotland opener George Munsey top-scored for his team with 66* off 53 balls. However, the Windies would have been pleased to restrict their opponents to 160/5 after a terrific 55-run opening stand in 6.2 overs. Jason Holder (2/14) and Alzarri Joseph (2/28) pulled things back for West Indies after an erratic start.
The uninspired Windies, however, never showed any resolve in the chase and folded up for 118 in 18.3 overs. Openers Kyle Mayers (20) and Evin Lewis (14) got starts as West Indies were comfortably placed at 53/1 in the last over of the powerplay. However, after the latter was dismissed by Brad Wheal, the wheels came off the Windies' batting.
Skipper Nicholas Pooran (four), Rovman Powell (five), Shamarh Brooks (four), Akeal Hosein (one), and Joseph (0) all fell in quick succession as the chasing side faltered to 79/8 in incredible fashion.
Holder (38) attempted to revive the innings, but West Indies fell way behind in the race. He was the last man out as he sliced a catch off Safyaan Sharif towards long-off. The 2022 T20 Cricket World Cup witnessed its second upset.
#3 Netherlands beat South Africa by 13 runs
Even by South Africa’s choking standards, this was a shocker. In earlier World Cups, they were undone by big sides like Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka in key games.
In their last T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 match, they needed to get the better of the Netherlands, a comparatively inexperienced international side, to book their place in the semi-finals and knock Pakistan out of the tournament. The Proteas failed in exceptional fashion and gave Pakistan a lifeline. The Asian giants gladly accepted the gift and confirmed their place in the knockouts by defeating Bangladesh.
South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl first against the Dutch at the Adelaide Oval. The Proteas bowlers, with the exception of Anrich Nortje (1/10), were off-color, allowing the Dutch to post a competitive 158/4. Colin Ackermann top-scored for the Netherlands with 41* off 26 balls. Stephan Myburgh (37), Max ODowd (29) and Tom Cooper (35) also chipped in with crucial contributions.
The South African batters, not for the first time in a do-or-die World Cup clash, choked in the chase. The top three of Quinton de Kock (13), skipper Temba Bavuma (20), and Rilee Rossouw (25) perished after getting starts. Aiden Markram (17) also failed to build on his foundation.
At 90/4, South Africa’s hopes firmly rested on David Miller. He reached 17 and then top-edged a pull off Brandon Glover. Roelof van der Merwe, who has represented the Proteas in the past, took a sensational back-pedaling catch.
Namibia beat Sri Lanka.
Netherlands beat South Africa.
Zimbabwe beat Pakistan.
Ireland beat England.
No South Africa & Australia in the Semi-final.
Best T20 World Cup ever.
Heinrich Klaasen (21) attempted a revival, but the wickets kept falling. The futility of South Africa’s chase was evident from the fact that they played out 20 overs, but finished on 145/8, going down by 13 runs.
Other big upsets of 2022 in international cricket
Ireland beat England by five runs (DLS method) - T20 World Cup 2022 (20th Match, Super 12 Group 1)
Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets - Asia Cup 2022 (first match of Group B)
Zimbabwe beat Australia by three wickets - third ODI (Zimbabwe's tour of Australia, August-September 2022)
Also Read: Top 5 cricket controversies of 2022