3 Major Heartbreaks Of England Against Lower-Ranked Teams In ICC Events

Finn Hellyer | 12:00am GMT 23 March 2025

The winners of the 2019 ODI World Cup, England, have been down and out since the retirement of Eoin Morgan. Though they won the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, England were knocked out in the group stages of the subsequent ODI World Cup, where they lost to lower-ranked teams by significant margins. England’s biggest nightmares in ICC events have been Ireland and the Netherlands, who have decimated them in the most unexpected ways. In recent times, one team that has outplayed them a couple of times is Afghanistan.

1. England vs Ireland, 2011 ODI World Cup 

This is one of the most breathtaking games ever in the history of the ODI World Cups. England were at the top of their game entering the match against Ireland. Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, and Kevin Pietersen scored half-centuries and powered England to 327/8.

Ireland’s three of the top four batters got off to good starts, scoring in the 30s, but couldn’t convert them into big scores. Just when Ireland were faltering, Kevin O’Brien stepped up and scored the fastest century in ODI World Cups at that time. He scored a heroic 113 runs in 63 balls. His innings, along with some crucial support from Alex Cusack and John Mooney, helped Ireland hand England a 3-wicket loss, breaking the hearts of millions of England fans.

2. England vs Afghanistan, 2023 ODI World Cup 

The underrated rivalry between England and Afghanistan began in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. Afghanistan, for the first time, looked like a major threat to all the top-ranked teams. England, entering the tournament as the defending champions, were thrashed in their first game by New Zealand. However, they bounced back with a commanding 137-run win over Bangladesh. But the downfall of their campaign started once they squared off against Afghanistan in the 13th match.

Batting first, Afghanistan scored 284/10. Rahmanullah Gurbaz set the tone for Afghanistan with a quickfire half-century, scoring 80 runs in 57 balls. Ikram Ali Khil also contributed with 58 runs in 66 balls. With the kind of batting lineup that England possesses, chasing this total seemed like a cakewalk. However, Afghanistan’s bowlers had other plans as they ran through the England batters, with Harry Brook being the top scorer with 66 runs in 61 balls. England were bundled out for 215 runs in 40.3 overs. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan picked up three wickets each and were the chief architects of England’s downfall.

3. England vs Afghanistan, 2025 ICC Champions Trophy 

The latest heartbreak that England will remember for a long time is their agonising defeat against Afghanistan, where they were incredibly close and had the game in their favor for the most part. Batting first, Afghanistan scored 325/7, courtesy of Ibrahim Zadran’s magnificent 177-run knock. Chasing down this mammoth total, England were off to a shaky start, losing the wickets of Phil Salt and Jamie Smith inside the powerplay.

Ben Duckett and Joe Root added 58 runs for the third wicket. Joe Root kept the run chase in check and went on to score a magnificent hundred, which was also his first century in ODIs in almost five years. Right when they were in commanding positions, Afghanistan bounced back with quick wickets and won the game by 8 runs.

With the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2026 and ODI World Cup in 2027 in South Africa, most cricket betting sites at the moment don’t favor England as outright tournament winners. This is likely because England are looking to rebuild their squad, and perhaps the odds could be much better closer to the time of the tournaments.