USA Qualify for T20 World Cup Super 8: Top 5 Greatest Underdog Stories in ICC History
The era of the Super 8s at the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup is here, and one of the most unlikely teams to be at this stage has to be the USA cricket team that just won’t stop creating headlines, qualifying as the first team. No one thought that before the start of the tournament, until they were pitted in a group having the likes of India and Pakistan, cricketing giants from the sub-continent. One of the biggest underdog wins in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup was achieved with sheer brilliance and guts! Here is how the USA managed the impossible and the history of some other memorable underdog stories in ICC tournaments.
They set the stage with a thumping win over Canada in their first game, the launching pad to their improbable run. Beating Canada might not have been a shock, but it set the tone for their self-belief. The major surprise arrived in their next game against a cricketing giant Pakistan.
The game will be talked about for years to come as the USA held Pakistan to a score of 159. The bowling was superbly led by captain Saurabh Netravalkar while there was a captain’s knock from Monank Patel with a crucial half-century. It was a game that went right down to the last ball both Aaron Jones and Nitish Kumar doing brilliantly well under pressure to level the scores and take it to a super over. The USA scored 18 runs in the super over against the much-experienced Mohammad Amir. Netravalkar’s outstanding effort with the ball in the subsequent super over ensured that the USA won by 5 runs and created one of the biggest upsets in the history of the T20 World Cup.
Having pocketed two wins, USA slumped to a loss against India and then had to win their last group game against Ireland or be eliminated. Yet a downpour in Florida meant that the encounter was washed out and the teams ended up with a point each. It was sufficient to sweep the USA to the Super 8, and in the process dashed the 2022 finalists Pakistan out of the tournament.
Thereafter, the history of the USA is now part of the sports folklore of the underdog. Here we list five other remarkable underdog tales in ICC events, from which the 1993 World Cup backdrop takes inspiration.
India – ODI World Cup 1983
The word is from the last game World Cup campaign of 1983, where India won. Kapil Dev led his team to a World Cup win as massive underdogs, winning the final against the two-time champions, the West Indies. India, a team that has notoriously lacked firepower in their fast bowling department, defended 183 runs by bowling out the hosts for 140 in what was the win that changed the face of Indian cricket upside down and all over for the better, as a few wide-eyed trillion youths suddenly saw hope that one can dream it and go on to win it.
Kenya – ODI World Cup 2003
World Cup 2003 is among the most inspiring stories in cricket, a journey to Kenya in the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup. After wins in the group stage against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, and a walkover against New Zealand, they were in the semi-finals but fell to the Indian cricket team.
Zimbabwe – ODI World Cup 1999
Zimbabwe’s 1999 World Cup performance was remarkable. They defeated both India and South Africa in the group stage, advancing to the Super Sixes. They narrowly missed out on a semi-final spot, but their performance showcased their potential.
Ireland – ODI World Cup 2007
Ireland announced their arrival on the world stage by defeating Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup, knocking the former champions out of the tournament. They continued to impress by tying with Zimbabwe and reaching the Super 8s in their debut World Cup.
Bangladesh – ODI World Cup 2007
Bangladesh produced shock results in the 2007 World Cup as it defeated India and South Africa in one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. So it was two wins, eight years ago, that took them into the Super 8s, and a tangible foothold in international cricket.
USA’s Super 8 qualification in the 2024 T20 World Cup is another story proving the case of cricket as truly unpredictable and thrilling, as cricket is. Their journey from the underdogs to the qualifiers will serve as inspiration for generations to come and continue to add to the rich folklore of underdogs that cricket has as its legacy. These are, of course, the sorts of stories that enrich the tapestry of sport, and the USA’s effort will live long in the memory as one of the most unlikely triumphs in the history of ICC tournaments.
