Australia vs Zimbabwe, ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Zimbabwe scripted history as they defeated Australia by 23 runs in match 19 of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday, February 13. This is their second win in the tournament, and are very close to making it to the Super 8s with four points already under their belt after the first two games.
They bowled Australia out for 146 runs in 19.3 overs, with Blessing Muzarabani producing a match-winning effort with the ball. Zimbabwe maintained their unbeaten streak against the Aussies in the T20 World Cup, having defeated them in the tournament's inaugural edition as well in 2007. This was Zimbabwe's only fourth win against a full-member team in the T20 World Cup.
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Zimbabwe's wins vs other FM teams at T20 WC
vs AUS, Cape Town, 2007
vs IRE, Hobart, 2022
vs PAK, Perth, 2022
vs AUS, Colombo, 2026*
Zimbabwe’s wins across formats vs Australia
By 13 runs (ODI), Trent Bridge, 1983 WC (c: Duncan Fletcher)
By 5 wkts (T20I), Cape Town, 2007 WC (c: Prosper Utseya)
By 3 wkts (ODI), Harare, 2014 (c: Elton Chigumbura)
By 3 wkts (ODI), Townsville, 2022 (c: Regis Chakabva)
By 23 runs (T20I), Colombo RPS, 2026 WC (c: Sikandar Raza)*
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After being put into bat first, Zimbabwe posted a challenging total of 169/2 in their 20 overs on a challenging surface. Brian Bennett was the standout performer with the bat, whereas Tadiwanashe Marumani and Ryan Burl came up with impactful efforts. Matt Renshaw's 65-run knock went in vain. He stitched an impressive 77-run stand with Glenn Maxwell. Meanwhile, no other batter could make an impact for the Men in Yellow.
Star performers for Zimbabwe against Australia
Brian Bennett: Zimbabwe had always an advantage with wickets in hand during the first innings, and Bennett made the most of it. He smashed an outstanding fifty and went on to play a crucial knock of 64 runs in 56 balls on the back of seven fours.
Tony Monyonga's jaw-dropping catch: The match reached a tricky situation, and Australia needed 41 runs in the last three overs, with Matt Renshaw at the crease. Two runs came in the first two balls off Brad Evans, and on the fourth delivery, Ben Dwarshuis gave his all with an aim to get a boundary, hitting a big shot towards the leg side. The ball went flat, and Tony Monyonga unleashed a full-length dive after running across to his left. He ended up taking a magnificent catch to send back Dwarshuis for 6, and it was almost over for Australia.
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Muzarabani's match-winning spell: Muzarabani came up with one of the most tremendous performances of his career. He took four wickets for just 17 runs in his four overs, dismissing Josh Inglis, Tim David, Matt Renshaw, and Adam Zampa. Muzarabani's effort against Australia was the best bowling figures for Zimbabwe in a T20 WC match.