On one hand where the cricket giants will be hungry to add more silverware to their trophy cabinets, the minnows will be looking to establish themselves on the big stage with crucial upsets in the 44-day long tournament.
2011: England shocked by Ireland and Bangladesh in group stage
Andrew Strauss-led England turned out to be biggest bunnies in the 2011 World Cup following their shock losses to Ireland and Bangladesh in the early stage. The Englishmen witnessed their first shock against Ireland in the 15th game of Group B. Riding on the blitzkrieg of Jonathan Trott(92), Ian Bell(81) and Kevin Pietersen(59), England scored a mammoth 327 runs. The total had already put Ireland out of contention and even a cricket pundit wouldn't have predicted what really unfolded in the second innings. Reeling at 115/5, Kevin O'Brien came out to bat and smashed a 63-ball 113 to inflict a shocking three-wicket loss on England. In the other game against Bangladesh, England were bowled out for a paltry 225 runs. Bangladesh's Imrul Kayes(60) and Tamim Iqbal(38) ensured their team reached the target with two wickets in hand.
2007: Bangladesh stun India in group stage
Team India witnessed a terrible outing at the 2007 World Cup and their loss against minnows Bangladesh only rubbed salt to their wounds. Rahul Dravid-led India locked horns with Bangladesh in their opening game of Group B. Deciding to bat first, the Indian team witnessed a batting collapse that was triggered by Abdur Razzak(5/38) and Mashrafe Mortaza(4/38). If it wasn't for Sourav Ganguly(66) and Yuvraj Singh(47), India wouldn't have reached the total of 191 runs. In reply, Tamim Iqbal(51) and Mushfiqur Rahim(56) powered Bangladesh to a five-wicket win over India. The Men in Blue later lost to Sri Lanka by 69 runs and crashed out of the tournament.
1999: Zimbabwe shock India in group stage
Team India was looking to get back to the winning ways after losing their opener to South Africa in the 1999 World Cup. The task was pretty easy but the Indians were in for a massive surprise and so were the cricket fans across the globe. Asked to bat first, Andy Flower(68) and Grant Flower(45) powered Zimbabwe to a competitive total of 252 runs. The target was not really far from India's reach, but their middle-order collapse didn't really help their cause. Sadagoppan Ramesh(55) and Ajay jadeja(43) kept India in contention but Heath Streak(3/36) and Henry Olonga(3/22) ensured the cricket giants fell short by three runs. The Alistair Campbell-led team continued their fine form and later defeated South Africa by 48 runs to enter the Super Six stage of the tournament.
1996: Kenya stun World champions West Indies in group stage
No one would have picked the newbies Kenya to produce one of the greatest upsets in the 1996 World Cup before the tournament began. But the Kenyan brigade, who made their way into the tournament after qualifying through the ICC tournament, managed to stun two-time World champions West Indies in the group stage. West Indies were already struggling in the tournament with a single win three games before taking on Kenya. Putting Kenya to bat first, West Indies dismissed their opponents to a mere 166 runs. The target was never going to be a problem for the Richie Richardson side that was bolstered with Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul amongst others. But, the sublime bowling performances from Rajab Ali(3/17) and Maurice Odumbe(3/15) reduced Windies to a shambolic 93 runs. The Kenyans recorded their name in the history books following their 73-run win over the mighty West Indies.
1983: 'Kapil's Devils' beat two-time champs West Indies to title
Team India's 1983 World Cup campaign got off to a flying start after they stunned the mighty West Indies' brigade in their first game of the tournament. The Indian team, who had also defeated Australia in the group stage, continued to shock the cricket world as they hammered England by six wickets in the semifinal. But their biggest win, that changed the Indian cricket for good, came against the two-time World Champions West Indies in the final. Asked to bat first, Team India was ripped apart by the West Indies' bowling attack only to be restricted at a mere 183 runs. With the batting might comprised of Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd, the Windies were clear favourites to clinch their third consecutive World title.
Despite suffering an early setback, Windies were on course for a win with the dependable Viv Richards at crease. But, Kapil Dev showed his athleticism and covered 40 yards to take a stunning catch off Madan Lal(3/31) to dismiss Richards changed the game. Richards' dismissal was followed by three more wickets and even though West Indies' wicket-keeper Jeff Dujon provided some resistance, Mohinder Amarnath(3/12) foxed the tailenders and reduced the two-time world champions to a mere 140. Kapil Dev's men produced one of the greatest upsets in the history of the tournament to clinch their maiden World Cup title and cricket ceased to be just a sport in India from that day onwards.
1979: Struggling India shocked by Sri Lanka in group stage
The Indian brigade, already a Test team at that time, witnessed a traumatic World Cup in 1979. The team led by S Venkataraghavan lost all of their group games and their biggest tragedy came against Sri Lanka. Indian team locked horned with the Lankans in the ninth game of Group B. The Lankans, who were yet to gain the Test status and only qualified for the coveted tournament through the ICC Tournament alongside Canada, managed to get the better of an experienced Team India. Despite being fairly new to the international scene, the Bandula Warnapura side scored a competitive 238-run total after batting first. In reply, India were dismissed for 191 runs. Despite boasting the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar and Mohinder Amarnath, India fell short by 47 runs. Sri Lanka's Tony Opatha(3), Somachandra de Silva(3) and Stanley de Silva(2) were pivotal in India's batting collapse.
1975: Australia's Gary Gilmour sinks England in semifinal
The maiden World Cup(known as the Prudential Cup) saw one of the greatest all-round display in the history in the tournament when Australia and England locked horns in the first semifinal at Headingley. Having won all of their games to top Group A, England were clearly the better side than Australia - who stuttered in the group stage and made the semis after beating Pakistan in a knock-out game. However, the hosts ran into the seaming Australian bowler Gary Gilmour who recorded the figures of 6/14 to dismiss England at a paltry 93-run total. Gilmour's bowling heroics made Australia favourites for the final berth until Chris Old(3), John Snow(2) and Geoff Arnold(1) combined to rattle Australia's run-chase at 39/6. But, then came Gary Gilmour who scored run-a-ball 28 alongside Doug Walters(20) to script one of greatest comebacks for Australia. The hosts were stunned by four wickets as Gilmour registered his name in the history books.
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