In the 19th match of the T20 World Cup, Zimbabwe pulled off a stunning upset by defeating Australia by 23 runs.
At R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, the Zimbabwean pace attack restricted Australia to 146 for all out in 19.3 overs, defending a target of 170 runs. Matthew Renshaw scored 65, Glenn Maxwell 31, and captain Travis Head managed 17 before being dismissed. None of the other eight batsmen reached double figures.
Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani took four wickets for just 17 runs, while Brad Evans claimed three for 23. Muzarabani’s 4 for 17 not only stands as Zimbabwe’s best T20 World Cup bowling figure but is also the best by any full member team bowler against Australia in T20 Internationals. Muzarabani also reached his 100th T20I wicket in this match.
Earlier, Australia captain Travis Head won the toss and invited Zimbabwe to bat first. The Zimbabwean openers provided a solid start of 61 runs. Marumani scored 35 before being dismissed, and a 70-run partnership between Brian Bennett and Ryan Burl added momentum. Burl made 35, leaving Zimbabwe at 131.
Zimbabwe posted 169 for 2 in their allotted 20 overs, with opener Brian Bennett unbeaten on 64 and captain Sikandar Raza 25 not out. Australia’s Mark Steyns and Cameron Green took one wicket each.
This is only the second T20 World Cup meeting between Australia and Zimbabwe, with both encounters resulting in Zimbabwe victories. The first was in the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup, when Zimbabwe had also defeated Australia.
