Zimbabwe Stuns Australia with Historic T20 World Cup Victory

In a stunning upset, Zimbabwe defeated Australia by 23 runs in the T20 World Cup, marking one of the biggest surprises of the tournament.

By Chris Posiano

February 14, 2026 at 3:41 AM

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In a remarkable turn of events, Zimbabwe secured a historic 23-run victory over Australia in the T20 World Cup, held in Colombo. The underdogs, ranked 11th in the world, outplayed the second-ranked Australians, who were missing several key players.

Zimbabwe set a challenging target of 170 runs, primarily thanks to Brian Bennett's impressive unbeaten 64 off 56 balls. The opening bowlers, Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans, ripped through Australia's top order, reducing them to 29-4 early in the innings. Australia struggled to recover and were eventually bowled out for 146 in the 19th over.

The Zimbabwean fans at the R Premadasa Stadium erupted in celebration, with a group of supporters dressed in their team's jerseys performing a traditional dance to mark the victory. Muzarabani was the standout bowler for Zimbabwe, finishing with figures of 4-17.

Australia had briefly regained hope when Glenn Maxwell and Matt Renshaw added 77 runs for the fifth wicket. However, part-time leg-spinner Ryan Burl dismissed Maxwell for 31, triggering a collapse from which Australia could not recover.

Bennett's innings was a masterclass in controlled aggression, with the 22-year-old finding the boundary seven times. He and Ryan Burl put on 70 runs for the second wicket, a record stand for Zimbabwe in T20 World Cups. Bennett's knock was his 10th half-century in T20 internationals.

This victory comes on the back of Zimbabwe's thrashing of Oman in their opening match. Australia, meanwhile, faces an uncertain future in the tournament. Despite beating Ireland in their previous match, another defeat could see them eliminated after the group stage. Without captain Mitchell Marsh, and with key bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood already ruled out, Australia's campaign is in jeopardy.

The absence of key players has already affected Australia's performance. Marcus Stoinis was injured while attempting a return catch and scored just six runs before being dismissed. However, there was a positive for Australia with the return of power hitter Tim David, who was named in the team despite missing the previous match due to a hamstring injury. Unfortunately for David, he was dismissed for a duck in his first game back.