Australia vs Zimbabwe, ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Mitchell Marsh was not included in Australia's playing XI for their match against Zimbabwe in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday, February 13. Travis Head continues to lead the Australian team in Marsh's absence, having also captained the side in their previous match against Ireland.
Australia won the toss and opted to field first with an aim to maintain their winning run. They brought in a couple of changes in the lineup as Ben Dwarshuis and Tim David replaced Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett. Notably, Marsh has been dealing with fitness issues. He missed the first match in the recent three-match away T20I series against Pakistan, but played the next two games.
Despite missing some of the key players, including their senior pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, Australia kicked off the T20 World Cup 2026 with a dominating 67-run win over Ireland at the same venue. Marcus Stoinis was the standout performer for the Men in Yellow, having played a fiery knock of 45 runs in just 29 balls on the back of two fours and a six. On the other hand, Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa came up with the match-winning effort of four wickets each.
Why Mitchell Marsh Is Not Playing In Australia vs Zimbabwe Match?
Marsh suffered a groin injury just ahead of the start of Australia’s clash against Ireland. In an official statement ahead of the Ireland game, Cricket Australia (CA) informed that Marsh is experiencing pain in his groin, and scans confirmed internal bleeding. The governing body also added that they have added Steve Smith as a cover in the team.
During the toss time on Friday, Head provided a major update on Marsh's fitness, mentioning the hope in the camp for the skipper getting fit as soon as possible. "We will bowl. Well, I mean, one eye is obviously on the cricket and the other on the fitness issues. But we’re used to a bit of chaos early in competitions like this. We’ve had it before. It’s a really good group, calm, and we’re in a good space," Head said at the toss.
He also talked about Smith being added to the squad. "No, he’s not here yet. He played golf a couple of days ago. I think he’s in Chennai. It’ll be nice having him around, and hopefully the skipper gets fit soon. Two changes for us - Connolly and Bartlett sit out, Ben Dwarshius and Tim David are back into the XI," he added.
Australia vs Zimbabwe Playing XIs, ICC T20 World Cup 2026:
Australia: Australia (Playing XI): Travis Head(c), Josh Inglis(w), Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Matthew Kuhnemann
Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza(c), Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani