5 Times Underdogs Beat Australia Across Formats — The Last One Will Shock You
While Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and even Afghanistan have gained Test status and continue to rise in world cricket, beating Australia remains the most crucial win for the lower-ranked teams. Here are five such occasions when the underdogs shocked the six-time world champions across formats.
1983 World Cup – ZIM beat AUS at Nottingham
Playing their first-ever One-Day International match, an unranked and non-Test-playing nation, Zimbabwe, stunned the cricket world by beating the mighty Aussies by 13 runs. Duncan Fletcher starred for the African nation, scoring 69 in the first innings and picking up four for 42 in the second. A star-studded Australian outfit failed to chase 240, as they were all out on 226, conceding what was dubbed the greatest World Cup shocker at that time.
2005 NatWest Series – BAN beat AUS by 5 Wickets
Two years later, Mohammed Ashraful’s match-winning 100 off 101 balls broke the Australian pride as Bangladesh secured their most famous ODI win to date by beating a top-ranked Australian Team during the 2005 NatWest tri-series in Cardiff by five wickets.
2007 T20 World Cup – ZIM beat AUS by 5 Wickets
In 2007, during their first face-off in T20I cricket at the T20 World Cup, Zimbabwe stunned Australia by five wickets in Cape Town. Zimbabwe restricted Australia to 138 for nine in the first innings and completed the run chase on the penultimate delivery to register a famous victory.
2024 T20 World Cup – AFG beat AUS by 21 Runs
During the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Americas, Afghanistan shocked the cricket world and contenders, Australia, by beating them by 21 runs in Kingstown. In a vital Super 8 match, Afghanistan restricted Australia to 127 in their chase of 149. That loss, however, led to Australia’s early exit from the tournament, as Afghanistan reached the semifinal.
2026 Darwin Test – BAN beat AUS by 9 Wickets
The latest instance came during the first Test between the two countries in Darwin, where Bangladesh registered their first-ever Test win over Australia in Australia by nine wickets. With Australia fielding their best XI, they failed to beat the travelling Bangladeshi side, conceding their most shocking Test loss.
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