Zimbabwe have edged Australia in a stunning T20 World Cup boilover in Colombo to maintain their unbeaten record over their higher-ranked rivals at the ICC’s T20 showpiece.
Pace pair Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans decimated Australia’s top order as they stumbled out of the gates before falling 23 runs short of their 170-run target in the Group B encounter.
Young opener Brian Bennett anchored Zimbabwe’s 2-169 with 64 not out from 56 balls after being sent in by stand-in Aussie skipper Travis Head at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium.
Regular captain Mitch Marsh missed a second straight match with internal testicular bleeding, but big-hitter Tim David returned from a hamstring injury for his first appearance of the tournament.
But he was out for a second-ball duck as part of a collapse of 4-29 to begin their run chase.
Marcus Stoinis batted in discomfort after copping a nasty blow to his left thumb off his own bowling as only T20I newcomer Matthew Renshaw (65) and Glenn Maxwell (31) got going before the world’s No.2 ranked side succumbed to 146 all out in the final over.
It’s the second time the African nation has beaten Australia in two T20 World Cup matches after downing Ricky Ponting’s side at the inaugural event in 2007. It’s also the fifth time they have defeated Australia in men’s internationals, which includes their last meeting in an ODI in Townsville in 2022.
Muzarabani (4-17) and Evans (3-23) returned to inflict more damage at the death, the former claiming his 100th T20I wicket in a career-best haul, as spinners Ryan Burl and Wellington Masakadza also chipped in to restrict their more fancied opponents.
Australia were in early trouble when Josh Inglis (8) picked out deep square leg off towering right-armer Muzarabani and Cameron Green edged behind off Evans for duck.
David also fell without scoring in his comeback innings when he found short fine leg to give Muzarabani his second as the Aussies slumped to 3-25 in the fourth over.
It quickly became four down when Head chopped on for 17, an unlucky victim of the ball ricocheting off his pad and onto the stumps.
Renshaw and Maxwell rebuilt with Australia’s highest ever fifth-wicket partnership in the history of the T20 tournament before Burl’s leg breaks ended their 77-run union when the latter again chopped on.
Tony Munyonga’s stunning superman catch on the midwicket boundary to end Ben Dwarshuis’ World Cup debut capped a sensational day for Zimbabwe cricket and they completed a stunning upset when No.11 Matthew Kuhnemann was run out in the final over.
Zimbabwe now join co-hosts Sri Lanka at the top of the Group B table, undefeated from their opening two games, while Australia will need to beat Sri Lanka and Oman next week to be any chance of progressing beyond the group stage.
Renshaw again repaid selectors’ faith for his late call-up after a similar knock in Australia’s tournament opening win over Ireland, posting his maiden T20 half-century from 34 balls.
But he couldn’t get his team over the line this time as wickets tumbled around him, and he was out in the penultimate over as the required rate spiralled.
“They played well to lose two wickets and have wickets in hand (at the end),” Head said post-match.
“We put ourselves under pressure losing wickets in the Powerplay; Zimbabwe bowled well … and then the scoreboard rate went up.
“We found a partnership through the middle but probably left ourselves a little bit too many (to get at the end), so it’s disappointing but that’s the game.
“We’ve found ourselves in this position before.
“A few guys in that dressing room were here in India in 2023 that navigated through (the ODI World Cup) and we ended up on the right side of it.
“So we’ll go back to the blueprint of that, try to keep as much confidence in the dressing room as possible and we’ve got two more games to win.”
Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani (35) put on just Zimbabwe’s second 50-plus run opening stand in their T20 World Cup history as they took 66 from the first eight overs to give their side a fast start.
Zimbabwe blunted the impact of Nathan Ellis (0-34), who went wicketless in his four overs after taking a career-best 4-12 in Australia’s tournament opening win over Ireland.
Stoinis (1-17 off 2.5 overs) shared the new ball with Dwarshuis and got the first breakthrough for Australia when he removed Marumani in the eighth over.
First-drop Burl also contributed 35 before Green removed him with the ball after he took over from the injured Stoinis.
Stoinis was listed to bat higher prior to his thumb injury but came in at No.7 in the 15th over when the asking rate was more than 11 runs an over.
He had walked from the field immediately clutching his left hand after Burl’s powerful strike from a wide full toss came straight back at him at an awkward height in his third over of the match.
The allrounder was taken for medical assessment but was later cleared to bat with suspected bruising as Green completed his over and took a wicket immediately.
It’s another unwanted injury concern for Australia after Marsh missed the first two matches, while they entered the tournament with a reshaped pace attack after star quicks Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were ruled out through injury.
Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza (25 not out) finished the innings in style as he smashed Ellis over the fence at square leg to record the only six of the innings. But he too finished the match off the field after cramping in his run up trying to start his third over.
2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
Australia squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Sean Abbott, Steve Smith
Australia’s Group Stage fixtures
February 11: defeated Ireland by 67 runs
February 13: defeated by Zimbabwe by 23 runs
February 16: v Sri Lanka, Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy (Feb 17, 12:30am AEDT)
February 20: v Oman, Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy (Feb 21, 12:30am AEDT)
Australia’s Super Eight fixtures
(Assuming all seeded teams qualify)
February 23: Australia (X2) v West Indies (X3), Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Feb 24, 12:30am AEDT)
February 26: India (X1) v Australia (X2), MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (Feb 27, 12:30am AEDT)
March 1: Australia (X2) v South Africa (X4), Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 8:30pm AEDT
Click here for the full tournament schedule
All matches will be broadcast on Amazon’s Prime Video
