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COLOMBO: Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza lavished praise on his side after sealing an emphatic 20-run victory over Australia in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
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. Meanwhile, 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.
Zimbabwe inflicted a poor start on Australia as they were reduced to 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.
Australia were eventually bowled out for 146.
Sikandar Raza took to X and praised his team for defeating a strong Australian side.
“This team. No words to describe what we all feeling today but we are aware what lies ahead and in sha Allah we remain committed and focused,” he wrote.
“Keep praying for us and in sha Allah we keep going,” Raza added.
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.
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