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COLOMBO: A disciplined bowling display led by Blessing Muzarabani and a composed half-century from Brian Bennett steered Zimbabwe to a memorable 23-run victory over Australia in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Friday.
The result marked one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far, as Zimbabwe outplayed the former champions in all departments to continue their impressive run.
Opting to bat first, Zimbabwe produced a confident batting effort to post a competitive 169-2.
Opener Brian Bennett anchored the innings with a steady 64 off 56 deliveries, striking seven boundaries.
He found solid support from Tadiwanashe Marumani and Ryan Burl, who contributed 35 runs apiece, while captain Sikandar Raza added late impetus with an unbeaten 25 off just 13 balls.
For Australia, only Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis managed to pick up wickets as Zimbabwe built a strong foundation.
Australia’s chase began on a disastrous note as Muzarabani and Brad Evans struck early, sharing four wickets to leave Australia struggling at 29-4 inside five overs.
A fighting 77-run stand between Glenn Maxwell and Matt Renshaw briefly revived the chase, but the rising required rate kept mounting pressure.
Maxwell scored 31 off 32 before being clean bowled by Ryan Burl, while Renshaw’s determined 65 off 44 ended when Muzarabani struck again, effectively sealing the contest. Australia were eventually bowled out for 146.
Muzarabani finished with four wickets, while Evans claimed three. Wellington Masakadza and Ryan Burl chipped in with one wicket each to complete a clinical bowling performance.
Interestingly, this was only the second T20 World Cup meeting between the two sides, with Zimbabwe now holding a perfect 2-0 record after also defeating Australia in the inaugural 2007 edition.
With back-to-back wins, including their earlier victory over Oman, Zimbabwe have strengthened their chances of progressing to the next round. They are set to face Ireland and Sri Lanka in their remaining group fixtures.
Australia, meanwhile, must win both of their remaining matches against Sri Lanka and Oman to keep their Super Eight hopes alive.
