5 major upsets in Women's 20-20 World Cup history

The Women's 20-20 World Cup's inaugural edition took place in 2009, two years after the men's competition materialized. The shorter format of the game is known for eye-brow-raising results. Like any other T20 game, the women's 20-20 World Cup has also seen some unexpected twists.

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World Cups are about surprising results and teams spoiling each other's parties. As such, when were the times when an unexpected team won? Here are the top five significant upsets in the history of the Women's 20-over World Cup.

5. Sri Lanka vs West Indies - Women's 20-20 World Cup, 2012

Major Upsets in Women's 20-20 World Cup (Source: Twitter)

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The first match on this list at number 5 is a rain-affected encounter between Sri Lanka and West Indies at the Galle. The sixth game in the group stages of the Women's World 20-20 World Cup raised a few eyebrows as a spirited Lankan team were helped by the DLS method to beat the Windies and cause an infamous upset in the history of the tournament.

In the shortened game, West Indies eventually had to score 48 runs in eight overs. They were forced to take several risks, leading to four run-outs and two stumpings off Chamani Seneviratnes' medium-pace giving West Indies their first upset of the tournament. The Windies could only manage 42 for the loss of eight wickets and fell short by six runs.

4. West Indies vs Pakistan - Women's 20-20 World Cup, 2020

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Major Upsets in Women's 20-20 World Cup (Source: twitter)

The next game on the list is from the last edition of the Women's 20-20 World Cup. The eighth match in Group B between West Indies and Pakistan saw the Pakistani women deliver an all-around performance to outclass the Windies.

After losing the toss and having to bowl first, Pakistan restricted West Indies to a meagre 124/7 in 20 overs. In response, Pakistan's Opening batters gave them the perfect start. Aiman Anwer, Nida Dar and Diana Bag picked up two wickets each for Pakistan, as Stephanie Taylor and Shemaine Campbelle scored 43 runs each to take Windies to 124. At the same time, captain Bismah Maroof and Nida Dar remained unbeaten to put the finishing touches as Pakistan cruised to the total with 10 balls remaining, losing just two of their batters on the way.

3. Sri Lanka vs South Africa - Women's 20-20 World Cup, 2016

Major Upsets in Women's 20-20 World Cup (Source: Twitter)

In the 20th game of the Group stages of the Women's 20-20 World Cup 2016, Sri Lanka went head-to-head with South Africa. The game on number three has more to do with an inspirational bowling effort than an all-around performance. The Proteas fashioned a stronger side. However, it all played out differently on the field.

The Lankans won the toss and elected to bat first; while they only managed 114 on the board, an inspired bowling effort made all the difference. They restricted South Africa to just 104; Udeshika Prabodhani remained the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2-13 in 4 overs, which accounts for an impressive economy rate of just 3.35. The captain Chamari Athapaththu remained the key contributor with the bat for Sri Lanka, with 52 runs to her credit.

2. Sri Lanka vs India - Women's 20-20 World Cup, 2014

Major Upsets in Women's 20-20 World Cup (Source: Twitter)

The fourth match in Group B of the 2014 Women's 20-20 World Cup was a major eyebrow-raiser as the Sri Lankan team defeated a solid Indian side with a clinical performance. After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Sri Lanka posted a competitive total of 128/8 in 20 overs riding on Chamari Athapaththu ‘s innings of 43(44) and Eshani Lokusuriyage ‘s 34(29).

In response, the Indian top order collapsed like a house of cards. Udeshika Prabodhani, Maduri Samuddika and Inoka Ranaweera picked up a couple of wickets each as the Indians could only manage 106 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their quota of 20 overs. Middle-order batter Shikha Pandey (22) was the only Indian to get past 20 runs.

1. Pakistan vs India - Women's 20-20 World Cup, 2012

Major Upsets in Women's 20-20 World Cup (Source: Twitter)

On number one, we have one of Cricket’s original rivalries. In a low-scoring encounter between India and Pakistan in Group A of the Women’s 20-20 World Cup 2012, Pakistan handed the Indians a shock defeat by a single run in a nail-biting encounter.

Having won the toss, Pakistan elected to bat first and posted a meagre total of 98 for the loss of nine wickets. India looked set to win the game; however, Pakistan’s off-spinner Nida Dar had slightly different plans. She smashed the Indian middle order dismissing key Indian batters like Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur; she returned with figures of 3-12 in 4 overs. In the end, the Indians fell short by just two runs as Pakistan registered a historic win.