3 Major Heartbreaks Of England Against Lower-Ranked Teams In ICC Events

Finn Hellyer | 12:00am GMT 23 March 2025

The winners of the 2019 ODI World Cup, England, have been down and out because the retirement of Eoin Morgan. Although they received the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, England had been knocked out within the group phases of the following ODI World Cup, the place they misplaced to lower-ranked groups by vital margins. England’s greatest nightmares in ICC occasions have been Eire and the Netherlands, who’ve decimated them in probably the most surprising methods. In current instances, one group that has outplayed them a few instances is Afghanistan.

1. England vs Eire, 2011 ODI World Cup 

This is among the most breathtaking video games ever within the historical past of the ODI World Cups. England had been on the prime of their sport getting into the match in opposition to Eire. Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, and Kevin Pietersen scored half-centuries and powered England to 327/8.

Eire’s three of the highest 4 batters acquired off to good begins, scoring within the 30s, however couldn’t convert them into large scores. Simply when Eire had been faltering, Kevin O’Brien stepped up and scored the quickest century in ODI World Cups at the moment. He scored a heroic 113 runs in 63 balls. His innings, together with some essential assist from Alex Cusack and John Mooney, helped Eire hand England a 3-wicket loss, breaking the hearts of hundreds of thousands of England followers.

2. England vs Afghanistan, 2023 ODI World Cup 

The underrated rivalry between England and Afghanistan started within the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. Afghanistan, for the primary time, regarded like a serious menace to all of the top-ranked groups. England, getting into the match because the defending champions, had been thrashed of their first sport by New Zealand. Nonetheless, they bounced again with a commanding 137-run win over Bangladesh. However the downfall of their marketing campaign began as soon as they squared off in opposition to Afghanistan within the thirteenth match.

Batting first, Afghanistan scored 284/10. Rahmanullah Gurbaz set the tone for Afghanistan with a quickfire half-century, scoring 80 runs in 57 balls. Ikram Ali Khil additionally contributed with 58 runs in 66 balls. With the form of batting lineup that England possesses, chasing this complete appeared like a cakewalk. Nonetheless, Afghanistan’s bowlers had different plans as they ran by means of the England batters, with Harry Brook being the highest scorer with 66 runs in 61 balls. England had been bundled out for 215 runs in 40.3 overs. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan picked up three wickets every and had been the chief architects of England’s downfall.

3. England vs Afghanistan, 2025 ICC Champions Trophy 

The newest heartbreak that England will keep in mind for a very long time is their agonising defeat in opposition to Afghanistan, the place they had been extremely shut and had the sport of their favor for probably the most half. Batting first, Afghanistan scored 325/7, courtesy of Ibrahim Zadran’s magnificent 177-run knock. Chasing down this mammoth complete, England had been off to a shaky begin, shedding the wickets of Phil Salt and Jamie Smith contained in the powerplay.

Ben Duckett and Joe Root added 58 runs for the third wicket. Joe Root stored the run chase in test and went on to attain a powerful hundred, which was additionally his first century in ODIs in virtually 5 years. Proper after they had been in commanding positions, Afghanistan bounced again with fast wickets and received the sport by 8 runs.

With the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2026 and ODI World Cup in 2027 in South Africa, most cricket betting websites in the intervening time don’t favor England as outright match winners. That is possible as a result of England want to rebuild their squad, and maybe the chances could possibly be significantly better nearer to the time of the tournaments.