Brief Scores: Zimbabwe (169 for 2 in 20 overs) beat Australia (146 all out in 19.3 overs) by 23 runs in a Group B match in Colombo. Scorecard | Highlighting
The T20 World Cup finally found its pulse as the second week delivered the seismic shock we all craved. While the Netherlands flirted with glory, Nepal rattled the English and the USA gave India a real scare, it was Zimbabwe who really tore up the script, hammering former champions Australia with a clinical 23-run victory at the R Premadasa Stadium on Friday 13 February.
The headlines go to the speedster Blessing Muzarabani who created a spell of absolute magic. On a slow Colombo deck, picking up 4 wickets for a paltry 17 runs. It was a masterclass in pace and accuracy that saw the Aussies bowl 146 in 19.3 overs.
Earlier, Zimbabwe grinded out a gutsy 169 for 2. While the total looked par on paper, their collective tenacity with the ball and some truly electric fielding turned it into a match-winning fortress.
On paper, it’s a huge buzz. Actually? Australia just can’t seem to shake their Zimbabwean antics. In a bizarre twist of fate, the Aussies remain winless against their bogey team in T20 World Cups. The stunning result comes 19 years after Brendan Taylor’s legendary fifty silenced the Australians in Cape Town during the inaugural tournament in 2007.
Australia’s batting order, wracked by injuries and without its talismanic captain Mitchell Marsh, looked decidedly fragile. Matt Renshaw was the lone bright spark leading a defiant lone wolf fight against the spin. His classy 65 off 44 balls showed plenty of heart, but without backup the mountain proved too steep to climb.
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Australia are now in danger of being knocked out at the group stage.
Sri Lanka sit top of the Group B table with four points and a healthy net pass percentage of 3.125, while Zimbabwe are second, also with four points.
Both Australia and Zimbabwe have yet to face the table-toppers in their remaining matches and the results of those matches could be decisive in shaping the group standings.
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Zimbabwe, led by Sikander Raza, who has a wealth of experience playing in the subcontinent, handled the conditions. They did not push for 200 with the bat despite having wickets in hand even in the final overs.
Captain Raza explained how they were happy to settle for 160 instead of trying to go with 200.
“70 in 10 and we said we’re happy. And I know someone in the dressing room said yes, 190 is on and I said no. If you’re looking for 190 now, it’s 140 full on.” Raza said.
“We understand that the wicket is getting slower and lower, and the moment you try to go too hard too early, I think a bunch of wickets have fallen.
Brian Bennett anchored Zimbabwe’s innings with a composed, unbeaten 64 that came in 56 balls. In modern T20Is, a strike of 114 is considered a penalty, but Zimbabwe did not panic because they knew what they were doing with the bat.
“We sent a message to Benny that he’s doing a great job. It doesn’t matter if he tries and doesn’t hit, he basically doesn’t need to panic. As long as he’s there, we’ll get to a good total,” he said.
The right-hander hit seven fours in a 56-ball knock that ensured stability at the top and steered Zimbabwe to 125 for 1 by the end of the 15th over. Although they looked to be well over 170 in total, Australia tightened up at the death and conceded just 44 runs in the last five overs to keep the score in check.
Wicketkeeper Tadiwanashe Marumani contributed an enterprising 35, as did Ryan Burl, while skipper Sikandar Raza added late impetus with an unbeaten 25 off just 13 deliveries. Despite having wickets in hand, Zimbabwe hit only a single six in the innings.
“I thought 175 was what we were looking for, but it ended up maybe being a couple of points. But the way we came and the way we bowled, the way we started, the way we made every catch, some of the boundary stops, it’s just unbelievable. I mean, you can’t fault the lads. It looked like the lads said it and I think they really deserved it today. Raza deserved it,” he said.
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Australia, missing frontline quicks Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, initially lacked bite with the new ball. Zimbabwe took advantage of this early freedom. Adam Zampa, usually a key figure in the middle overs, failed to break through and returned figures of 0 for 31 from his four overs.
The foundation was laid through a 61-run opening partnership between Marumani and Bennett in eight overs. After a cautious start, Marumani got free from Ben Dwarshuis and Glenn Maxwell while Bennett found his rhythm against Matthew Kuhnemann as Zimbabwe closed the powerplay strongly.
Marcus Stoinis provided the breakthrough in the eighth over, removing Marumani with a narrow edge to Josh Inglis. Zimbabwe maintained a steady lead through the middle overs before there was a brief scare when Stoinis injured his hand trying to catch Burla in the 16 over. Cameron Green completed the over and dismissed Burl off the last ball. Green and Stoinis were the only Australian wickets as Zimbabwe finished with a total that promised to be a competitive contest.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
February 13, 2026