Bangladesh beating Aussies obviously and Ireland beating Pakistan also obviously.
I think Ireland's win bears more credence than Bangladesh beating aussies, there was far more at stake and the Irish were not a Test nation (and still aren't) They gained full status after the tournament, not that you'd know some of the non-Test nations had full ODI status.
I had to laugh at the time, the big guns from India and Pakistan felled at the first hurdle by Bangladesh and Ireland respectively. There was always a chance it would happened, fecked over the organisers who wanted a Test nation round-robin for TV and got Bangladesh and Ireland in the mix :laugh
Maybe Ireland was a bigger shock for the result, the India result was a big shock because India were tipped as one of the favourites. Even though Ireland won under D/L, they probably would have won regardless
BAN vs IND 17/03/07 (ICC World Cup 2007)
India 191 all out (49.3 overs)
Ganguly 66, Yuvraj 47. Mortaza 4/38, Razzak 3/38, Rafique 3/35
Bangladesh 192/5 (48.3 overs)
Iqbal 51, Rahim 56no, Al Hasan 53.
Bangladesh beat India by 5 wickets
India beat Bermuda, but then lost comfortably to Sri Lanka and had to pack their bags early. It was a great day as Ireland beak Pakistan
IRE vs PAK 17/03/07 (ICC World Cup 2007)
Pakistan 132 (45.4 overs)
Rankin 3/32
Ireland 133/7 (41.4 overs)
N.O'Brien 72. Sami 3/29
Ireland beat Pakistan by 3 wickets (D/L)
So compared to Bangladesh vs India and vs Australia, the much bigger underdog won the day. No way back for Pakistan, they could only beat Zimbabwe to put them on one win, but as Zimbabwe had tied with Ireland, even Zimbabwe beating West Indies would have put Pakistan out ie the winner of West Indies vs Zimbawe would go through with Ireland.
And in a much bigger context, Bangladesh had been to World Cups before, they'd won ODIs before, but that was the 1st World Cup for Ireland.
ODI Wins Over Test Opposition*
Bangladesh
31/05/99 vs Pakistan (Northampton, WC 1999)
26/12/04 vs India (in Bangladesh)
18/06/05 vs Australia (Sophia Gardens)
22/02/06 vs Sri Lanka (in Bangladesh)
17/03/07 vs India (Port of Spain, WC 2007)
14/01/09 vs Sri Lanka (in Bangladesh)
*excluding Zimbabwe, Bangladesh have beaten them a few times but only since their Test status was in doubt/removed and their team in disarray (that's just outside Harare)
So Bangladesh's win over the aussies wasn't even their first win over Test opposition, it wasn't their first on neutral ground. They themselves weren't a Test nation when they beat Pakistan in 1999, they had been for some time when they won at Sophia Gardens.
Ireland
17/03/07 vs Pakistan (Kingston Jamaica, WC 2007)
15/04/07 vs Bangladesh (Bridgetown Barbados, WC 2007)
Pakistan stand out in Ireland's history, their 1st ODI win over Test nations and on neutral ground. They beat weaker Test opposition later in the competition, but beating Pakistan made their mark on the world of cricket.
Owzat added 4 Minutes and 45 Seconds later...
How things have changed (and yet somehow stay the same). Day 1 at Lords 2005 went about the same for Australia as day 1 at Sydney this year.
I think a lot of people did appreciate the potential for a good series, however. Especially when Ponting copped one on the face.
England lost the Test, far be it for me to be quoting "positives" (a pet hate habit that England overuse), but they did take some from that defeat.
- They bowled the aussies out for 190
- Harmison took a 5wi
- No aussie made a fifty in the 1st innings, no hundreds in the match
- Pietersen made fifties in each innings in his 1st Test
and then McGrath, having predicted 5-0, went and trod on a cricket ball (in a 'ball tampering incident' that went unmentioned!) and missed the 2nd Test. The aussies never once made 400+ in the series, it made for a classic series regardless of pre-series expectations.
:laugh
