{"id":1352,"date":"2026-02-13T15:52:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T10:22:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/?post_type=news&#038;p=1352"},"modified":"2026-02-13T15:58:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T10:28:15","slug":"zimbabwe-claims-victory-over-australia","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/news\/zimbabwe-claims-victory-over-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"Zimbabwe Claims Victory Over Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zimbabwe produced one of the biggest upsets of the <a href=\"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/icc-t20-world-cup-2026-schedule\/\">ICC T20 World Cup<\/a> by defeating former champions Australia by 23 runs at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The victory not only strengthened Zimbabwe\u2019s position in Group B but also maintained their unbeaten record in the tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After being sent in to bat by stand-in Australian captain Travis Head, Zimbabwe posted a competitive total of 169\/2 in 20 overs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Young opener Brian Bennett played a match-winning knock, remaining unbeaten on 64 off 56 balls.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He anchored the innings brilliantly and ensured Zimbabwe built a solid platform. Tadiwanashe Marumani and Ryan Burl contributed valuable 35-run knocks, keeping the scoreboard moving in the middle overs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Captain Sikandar Raza provided the late surge despite struggling with cramps in humid conditions. His quick 25 off just 13 balls, including a massive six off Nathan Ellis, pushed Zimbabwe to a strong total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response, Australia\u2019s chase never gained momentum. Zimbabwe\u2019s pace attack dismantled the top order early.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blessing Muzarabani was outstanding with figures of 4\/17, claiming his 100th T20I wicket, while Brad Evans picked up 3\/23. Australia collapsed to 3-25 inside four overs, with Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, and Tim David falling cheaply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthew Renshaw fought back with a resilient 65, and Glenn Maxwell added 31 as the pair stitched together a crucial 77-run partnership.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, spinner Ryan Burl broke the stand, triggering another collapse. Australia was eventually bowled out for 146 in the final over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A stunning boundary catch by Tony Munyonga to dismiss Ben Dwarshuis highlighted Zimbabwe\u2019s fielding brilliance, sealing a memorable win. This marks Zimbabwe\u2019s second T20 World Cup victory over Australia, the first coming in 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With two wins from two matches, Zimbabwe now sit at the top of the Group B table alongside Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Australia face must-win matches against Sri Lanka and Oman to keep their qualification hopes alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zimbabwe\u2019s clinical performance proved their growing strength in international cricket and sent a strong message to higher-ranked teams in the tournament.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1353,"template":"","tags":[728,729,727],"ppma_author":[489],"class_list":["post-1352","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-australia-cricket-team","tag-group-b-standings","tag-zimbabwe-vs-australia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/1352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1352"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=1352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}