“Group is Pure Madness” – Fans Lose It as Zimbabwe Upset Mighty Australia Yet Again to Keep World Cup Streak Alive

Zimbabwe’s next matches are against Ireland and Sri Lanka, while Australia faces the hosts before their final encounter against Oman in the T20 WC.

“Group is Pure Madness” – Fans Lose It as Zimbabwe Upset Mighty Australia Yet Again to Keep World Cup Streak Alive

Zimbabwe defeated Australia by 23 runs in the group-stages of the 2026 T20 World Cup. (via ESPN Cricinfo)

Zimbabwe has made history in the T20 World Cup by delivering a major upset against a much stronger Australia. The Sikandar Raza-led side triumphed over the 2021 T20 WC champions by 23 runs in a thrilling group-stage match at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

The ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup has been full of surprises, with smaller playing nations putting up a tough fight against stronger opposition. However, only Zimbabwe has managed to force a major upset in the competition so far. Zimbabwe has now secured two consecutive group-stage wins, against Oman and Australia, putting the team in a strong position to qualify for the Super Eight stage for the first time ever.

Prior to their clash in Colombo, both Australia and Zimbabwe were dealing with injury issues, with the Kangaroos missing out on the services of captain Mitchell Marsh. The Zimbabwean team, on the other hand, saw veteran wicket-keeper batter Brendan Taylor ruled out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury. Nevertheless, stand-in Aussie skipper Travis Head surprisingly elected to bowl first on a sluggish surface, a decision that backfired as his team humiliatingly lost by 23 runs.

Zimbabwe got off to a good start, thanks to a 61-run first-wicket stand between Brian Bennett (64* off 56) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (35 off 21). Ryan Burl contributed with a 35-run knock, while Sikander Raza chipped in with 25 runs to take the team to a competitive first innings total of 169/2. Australia’s batting performance in the 170-run chase proved even worse, as the pace attack of Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans dismantled their experienced lineup.

Matt Renshaw was the lone warrior in their Australian batting side, as he scored 65 runs off 44 balls, up until his dismissal in the 19th over of the chase. Seven others were dismissed for single-digit scores. The 2021 T20 WC champions were no match for the Zimbabwean players, who bowled them out for a mere 146 runs. It now leaves Australia on the verge of elimination, and a defeat to Sri Lanka in their next game would mark the end of the road. 

The win also means that Zimbabwe maintains a perfect winning record against Australia in the T20 World Cup, having defeated them twice in as many encounters. This winning streak began with a dramatic five-wicket upset against the Australians in Cape Town during the 2007 T20 World Cup.

David beats Goliath: Fans erupt as Zimbabwe stun Australia with 23-run victory in T20 World Cup

In a repeat of their 2007 T20 World Cup heroics, Zimbabwe once again defeated Australia in the group stages of the tournament, this time at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Fans erupted, celebrating the Zimbabwean T20I team’s major victory on the biggest stage.

Zimbabwe shock Australia T20 World Cup
Fans have been left in shock after Zimbabwe dismantled Australia at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. (via NDTV Sports)

Fans took to social media to share their reactions, with some of them suggesting that Group C is one of ‘madness’ and ‘chaos’. Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe are on top with four points each, followed by Australia, Ireland and Oman. While others lavished praise on Zimbabwean pacer Blessing Muzarabani’s for his match-winning spell of 4/17, R Ashwin lauded all-rounder Tony Munyonga for his impressive fielding.

Some fans also commended the ICC’s decision to turn the T20 World Cup into a 20-team tournament. Australian fans, however, expressed confidence in their team’s abilities, noting that the Men in Yellow would ultimately make it to the Super Eight stages with a superior NRR. The Colombo win also marks Zimbabwe’s fifth victory over Australia across all formats, after success in 1983, 2007, 2014 and 2022.

For Australia, the injury to captain Mitchell Marsh appears to be a significant setback, leading to former captain Steve Smith, 36, being kept on standby as a replacement. Smith is in good form in the T20 format, having recently scored 299 runs in six matches in BBL 2025-26.

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