Top 5 biggest Test upsets of the last decade

An upset in Test cricket is rare. The reason for the same is that you need to play consistent cricket for five days, something we don’t expect from lower ranked teams, to emerge victorious. However, rare does not mean impossible and there have been many instances when a lower ranked team have stunned a giant opposition. Here, in this listicle, we’ll read about 5 of the biggest upsets in the last decade.

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1 - Australia vs Bangladesh (2017)

The last decade saw Bangladesh rise in International cricket. They won ODI series against India, South Africa and Pakistan at home. They even reached the quarter-final of the 2015 World Cup. But against a formidable Australian unit, no one expected them to pull off what they did.

In the first test in Dhaka, Bangladesh stunned Australia to win the match by 20 runs.

Batting first, Bangladesh put up a decent 260 on the board before restricting Australia to 217 in the first inning. In the second inning, Australia bowled out Bangladesh for 221 and required 265 runs to win. At one point, David Warner and Steve Smith looked like taking the game away from Bangladesh but the wicket of Warner triggered a collapse as Bangladesh won the match by 20 runs.

2 - England vs West Indies (2017)

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West Indies had a poor record against England, having only won a single Test since 2000. They were trailing 1-0 in the series and all the odds were against them. However, in the second Test, West Indies showed the world what they are capable of. They first restricted England to 258 before taking a 169 run lead on the back of Shai Hope’s magnificent 147. England fought back in their second inning and scored a mammoth 490, setting a target of 322 to win the match. It was a stiff target but Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite made easy work of the score as West Indies won the match by five wickets.

3 - Pakistan vs West Indies (2016)

Beating Pakistan in UAE is not the easiest task and West Indies had little hopes when they arrived in UAE. They were coming back from series losses against India, Sri Lanka and Australia. Pakistan,on the other hand, had a phenomenal record in Sharjah. In the third Test of the series, Pakistan posted a solid 281 in their first inning before West Indies responded with 337, taking a 56 run lead. They then bowled out the hosts for 208, thanks to a five-wicket haul by Jason Holder. West Indies were set a target of 153 which they achieved with just 5 wickets down.

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4 - Zimbabwe vs Pakistan (2013)

Pakistan is an unpredictable team but no one expected them to lose against Zimbabwe, a team that rarely plays Test cricket. Misbah ul Haq's team toured the African nation in 2013 and won the first test with ease. In the second Test, Zimbabwe posted a solid 294 in their first inning and then restricted Pakistan to 230, taking a decent 64 run lead. Pakistan did bounce back and bowled out the hosts for 199. Chasing 264, Pakistan could only manage 239, losing the game by 24 runs.

5 - South Africa vs Sri Lanka 

Beating South Africa in South Africa is a stiff task for any Asian team and Sri Lanka had just one win in the rainbow nation ahead of the 2019 series. Put in to bat by Sri Lanka, South Africa were bowled out for 235. In reply, Sri Lanka stumbled for 191. South Africa scored 259 in the second inning, setting a target of 304 for Sri Lanka to win. Sri Lanka were reeling at 226-9 and South Africa were cruising to an easy victory. However, what followed was a scintillating partnership between Kusal Perera (153) and Vishwa Fernando that handed Sri Lanka an unimaginable win.