1 / 5Ireland on Wednesday added to their bouquet of famous wins at Cricket World Cups as they beat neighbours England in the Super 12 Group 1 match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Batting first Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie hit 62 off 47 balls to take his side to 157 in 19.2 overs. Then Irish bowlers stepped up as Joshua Little picked 2 wickets, Also among the wickets were Barry McCarthy, Fionn Hand, and George Dockrell. Ireland had England at 105/5 in 14.3 overs before rain halted play forcing the umpires to take the players off. When the players walked off England were trailing Ireland by 5 runs on the DLS method. The rain continued to pelt at the MCG and no further play was possible. The umpires had to call off the match and declare Ireland the winner. Ireland beating England at the MCG evoked memories of the times when the Irishmen notched memorable wins at the Cricket World Cups. Here are four more such matches from cricket history. (Image: AP)
2 / 5Ireland beat England in the 2011 50-over Cricket World Cup | Ireland's win over England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was not the first time when they had shocked the Englishmen at a Cricket World Cup. One of the most memorable wins by Ireland in a Cricket World Cup arrived in the 2011 50-over Cricket World Cup played in India. Ireland faced England in a Group B match at Bengaluru. Batting first England powered their way to 327/8 thanks to Jonathan Trott's 92, Ian Bell's 81, and a fifty by Kevin Pietersen. In the chase, Kevin O'Brien blasted a century in just 50 balls to notch the quickest hundred in the history of the 50-over World Cup. O'Brien eventually made 113 in 63 balls and along with vital contributions from Alex Cusack (47 in 58 balls) and John Mooney (33 in 30) Ireland reached 329/7 in 49.1 overs to notch a famous win. (Image: AFP)
3 / 5Ireland beat Pakistan in the 2007 50-over Cricket World Cup | Before shocking England in the 2011 50-over Cricket World Cup, Ireland sent shockwaves across the world when they beat Pakistan in the 2007 50-over Cricket World Cup. Back then the hero for Ireland was Kevin O'Brien's brother Niall O'Brien. In a rain-affected match, Pakistan were bowled out on just 132 thanks to Boyd Rankin's 3/32, and two wickets each by Andre Botha and Kyle McCallan. In the chase, Ireland were struggling at 62/3 but Niall's cautious 72 in 117 balls ensured that Ireland were safe home in 41.4 overs with the loss of 7 wickets. Ireland who had made their World Cup debut in the tournament ensured that Pakistan were knocked out of the tournament. (Image: AFP)
4 / 5Ireland beat West Indies in the 2015 50-over Cricket World Cup | Ireland's giant-killing acts continued in the 2015 50-over World Cup as well and this time the victims were the West Indies. The two teams locked horns in a group-stage match. Batting first West Indies powered their way to 304/7 courtesy Lendl Simmons' 102 and a brisk 89 in 67 balls by Darren Sammy, Ireland were not at all fazed in the tough chase. Opener Paul Stirling smashed 92 and he was backed by Ed Joyce and Niall O'Brien who scored 84 and 79 respectively. The efforts from the three Irish batters meant that Ireland recorded yet another successful run chase in the history of the 50-over Cricket World Cups. (Image: AP)
5 / 5Ireland beat Bangladesh in the 2008 T20 World Cup | In the 2008 T20 World Cup played in England, Ireland stunned Bangladesh in a group-stage match to qualify for the second round of the T20 World Cup for the very-first time. Batting first Bangladesh huffed and puffed their way to a meagre 137/8 in 20 overs as Trent Johnston bowled a magnificent spell of 3/20. Niall O'Brien was again the hero in Ireland's run chase as he punished the Bangladesh bowlers to race to 40 in 25 balls. Ireland crossed the target of 138 in 18.2 overs with 6 wickets remaining to produce a memorable win. (Image: AP)
