T20 World Cup 2026: Friday, February the 13th, witnessed a shocker at the T20 World Cup 2026. Zimbabwe pulled off something special, beating Australia by 23 runs in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This win meant a lot as the African country hadn’t beaten Australia in a T20 for 19 years.
Australia won the toss and decided to bowl first. Zimbabwe’s batters took full advantage of every over, putting up 169 for just two wickets in their 20 overs. Australia, chasing 170, never really found their footing. They crumbled for 146 in 19.3 overs.
Brian Bennett set the tone for Zimbabwe, smashing 64 off 56 balls with seven boundaries. Tadiwanashe Marumani chipped in with a quick 35 from 21, and Ryan Burl added another 35 off 30. Captain Sikandar Raza finished things off nicely with a rapid 25 from just 13 balls.
Australia’s chase started off shaky. Josh Inglis went for 8, while Cameron Green and Tim David didn’t even get off the mark. Matt Renshaw tried to steady the ship with a gutsy 65 off 44, but it wasn’t enough for the Aussies in the context of the game.
These two teams hadn’t met in a T20I for seven years, and now, after four encounters, they’re even with two wins each. But this one on Friday felt like a turning point for Zimbabwe, a feather in the cap and special moment their fans won’t forget anytime soon.
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 Playing XI: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza(c), Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani
