Chasing a target of 170, Australia’s batting lineup struggled against disciplined bowling and was bowled out for 146 runs in the 20th over
COLOMBO: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Feb 13rd, 2026) Zimbabwe stunned former world champions Australia in a T20 World Cup group match on Thursday, registering a memorable 23-run victory in a major upset of the tournament.
Batting first, Zimbabwe put up an impressive total of 169 runs for the loss of two wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Brian Bennett anchored the innings with a superb knock of 64 runs while Tadiwanashe Marumani and Ryan Burl chipped in with 35 runs each. Captain Sikandar Raza also played a useful innings, scoring 25 runs to strengthen Zimbabwe’s total.
Chasing a target of 170, Australia’s batting lineup struggled against disciplined bowling and was bowled out for 146 runs in the 20th over. Matt Renshaw was the standout performer for Australia, scoring 65 runs, while Glenn Maxwell contributed 31. However, the rest of the batting order failed to offer resistance, with eight Australian players unable to reach double figures.
Zimbabwe’s bowling attack was led by Mazarbani, who delivered an outstanding spell and claimed four wickets to dismantle Australia’s chase.
The victory significantly boosted Zimbabwe’s campaign in the T20 World Cup and marked one of the biggest surprises of the group stage, while Australia suffered a setback in their quest to advance further in the tournament.
