Zimbabwe humbling a star-studded Australia by 23 runs in the T20 World Cup 2026 is going down in cricket history. Zimbabwe winning against the Oman side was considered a fluke by many. However, they turned towards proving their grit.
Asked to bat first by stand-in Australia captain Travis Head, Zimbabwe made a steady start. The openers laid a strong base and avoided early damage.
Brian Bennett anchored the innings. He remained unbeaten on 64 from 56 balls. He held one end firm and paced the knock smartly.
Tadiwanashe Marumani added momentum with a fluent 35. Ryan Burl matched him with another 35. The pair kept the scoring rate healthy through the middle overs.
The late surge came from skipper Sikandar Raza. He battled leg cramps in the humid Colombo weather. Still, he attacked from the outset. Raza hammered 25 off just 13 balls. He ended the innings with a towering six off Nathan Ellis. Zimbabwe closed on 169 for 2. However, they bundled the Aussies out by 146 runs.
The Aussies were down to 29/4 within the first five overs. Muzarabani set the path after he dismissed Josh Inglis early into the game. Brad Evans also created the path by dismissing Cameron Green and destructive Travis Head.
Glenn Maxwell (31) and Matt Renshaw (63) kept the hope alive for Australia. However, Zimbabwe’s Ryan Burl took the opportunity to wipe out Maxwell during the 15th over, and the match shifted to the team.
Australia’s last hope ended in the final over. Matthew Kuhnemann was run out with 24 runs still required from the last four deliveries. That dismissal sealed the contest.
