5 most surprising wins of 2023 so far

2023 in cricket has been a year of underdogs so far and has already witnessed many surprises. The gap between sides has been decreasing day by day, and that's great news for the development and spread of cricket worldwide.

Not only are men's teams like the Netherlands and Scotland matching higher-ranked sides; in women's cricket, teams are also raising the bar by working on their skillsets.

In this article, we will discuss some of the wins of the teams across formats which no one would have predicted at the start of the year but came as a pleasing surprise for everyone.

5 most surprising wins of 2023 so far

#5 Netherlands defeated West Indies, ICC World Cup Qualifiers 2023, Zimbabwe

In one of the most shocking results of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers 2023 in Zimbabwe this year, the Netherlands, who have made it to the main event in October in India, stunned a strong West Indies team.

It was probably one of the best ODI matches in recent times, where one got to witness David not only matching shoulders with Goliath but also beating it.

The West Indies posted a daunting total of 374/6, thanks to a breathtaking century from Nicholas Pooran and cameos from Keemo Paul and Shai Hope.

When it seemed like WI would decimate the Dutch in what looked like a proper mismatch in the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers, the Netherlands came out all guns blazing, matching the Caribbean batsmen shot for shot. They kept the asking run rate in check, with Teja Nidamanuru scoring a memorable century.

But the real hero was Logan van Beek, who scored 28 runs in 14 balls in the back end of the game to tie the match. And in the Super Over, he smoked 30 runs off Jason Holder, which proved too much for the West Indies batsmen.

The loss put the Windies' quest to qualify for the main event in peril.

#4 Afganistan decimated Bangladesh at their fortress

If there's one team that has dominated their home ODIs in recent years, then it has to be Bangladesh. They have been clinical at home and are serious contenders for a top-4 finish in the upcoming World Cup in India in 2023, a condition very similar to their home one.

But Afghanistan, which has made rapid strides in its growth in international cricket, is no longer a mere pushover in any format of the game. Any team that takes them lightly is shooting themselves in the foot.

And probably, Bangladesh made that mistake in the ongoing series, where they have been dominated by the Afghanistan team in both ODIs, especially the second one, where they literally gave a thrashing to the Bangla tigers.

Centuries from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran propelled the Afganistan score to a strong total of 331/9, which at one stage looked set to be a 400+ total.

But Shakib Al Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, and Mehidy Hasan Miraj ensured Bangladesh's comeback, and they had a chaseable target in front of them.

But the trio of Fazalhaq Faaroqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Rashid Khan were too hot to handle for the Bangladeshi batsmen, and they only managed to get 189 runs, with only Mushfiqur Rahim managing to give a fight, scoring 69 runs.

After their win in the first ODI, everyone called the Afganistan victory a fluke, but with this win, they showed the world that they have finally arrived on the scene in international cricket and have great potential to become a threat in the near future.

#3 Afghanistan stunned Pakistan in the UAE

The Afghanistan-Pakistan rivarly on the cricket pitch is a hidden gem of the sport. Every time these two teams play against each other, not only the players but their respective fans also get super charged.

And when Afghanistan locked horns with their rivals in a T20 series in 2023 in the UAE, which used to be Pakistan's home ground a few years ago, the battle between these two teams was intense.

Pakistan, after losing the first game in a close encounter on a sluggish Sharjah pitch, decided to put runs on the board, which was a great decision on that surface.

But the 2022 T20 World Cup finalists were finding themselves reeling at 63/5 in the 11th over thanks to a brilliant new-ball bowling display from Fazalhaq Faaroqi, who broke the back of Pakistan's top order.

But Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan fought back and took the team's total to 130.

Afganistan's batters knew the run rate, and they concentrated on strike rotation with occasional boundaries. This strategy worked like a charm, with Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi providing the finishing touches in the end to take their team across the line.

#2 England Women stopped the Australian Women's team's juggernaut

Australian Women's team dominance has been something that no team, even in men's cricket, has been able to come close to, let alone replicate.

They had not lost a single T20 series since 2017, and when they won the first T20 match of the ongoing Ashes 2023 series, it looked like they would once again have their hands on the trophy.

But England, after going 1-0 down, showed great character and won the second and third T20s, with Danielle Wyatt and Alice Capsey displaying some great T20 batting and matching the mighty Australians shot for shot.

And if Wyatt and Capsey were performing with the willow, Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell were ensuring that Australia's famed batting line-up didn't perform to their expectations.

England won the T20 series 2-1, and that's by no means a small result considering the depth of their counterparts. They also managed to keep the Ashes 2023 alive with these two back-to-back wins.

#1 Sri Lanka stunned New Zealand at home

The New Zealand women's team might not be as intimidating as the Australian or English women's teams, but they are a pretty balanced team with players who do their job quite efficiently.

And losing to a side like Sri Lanka, which has never looked threatening except for some infrequent surprise performances was something they would never have thought of in their wildest dreams.

It's not that Sri Lankan Women are pushovers, but they are definitely a side that plays inconsistent cricket.

But not in 2023, where, while hosting the White Ferns," they strung one of the biggest surprises and won the 3-match ODI series 2-1 with their captain Chamari Athapaththu leading from the front, scoring 248 runs with a fantabulous SR of 152.

Her inning of 140* off just 80 deliveries while chasing 195 in 27 overs was probably one of the finest ODI innings across men's and women's cricket.