Zimbabwe stunned Australia by 23 runs in their Group B match at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on February 13, 2026, at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Brian Bennett scored an unbeaten 64 off 56 balls, and Blessing Muzarabani took four wickets for 17 runs to bowl out Australia for 146 in 19.3 overs while chasing 170.
The win gave Zimbabwe a perfect 2-0 record against Australia in T20 World Cup history after they had also beaten them at the 2007 tournament in Cape Town. Bennett anchored the Zimbabwe innings with his first T20 World Cup fifty, while Muzarabani reached 100 career T20 international wickets during his match winning spell.
Bennett Anchors Zimbabwe to 169
Zimbabwe posted 169 for 2 in their 20 overs after Australia won the toss and chose to bowl. Bennett put on an opening stand of 61 runs with Tadiwanashe Marumani, who scored 35 off 21 balls with seven fours. The 22-year-old Bennett then added 70 runs for the second wicket with Ryan Burl, which became Zimbabwe’s highest second wicket partnership in T20 World Cup history.
Bennett reached his fifty off 43 balls and finished with 64 not out off 56 deliveries, hitting seven fours but playing mostly along the ground. He rarely went for big shots and focused on rotating the strike. Burl scored 35 off 30 balls before getting out, and Sikandar Raza smashed 25 not out off just 13 balls at the end, hitting the only six of Zimbabwe’s innings on the final ball.
Australia’s bowling struggled to take wickets on a slow pitch. Cameron Green took one wicket for 6 runs and Marcus Stoinis grabbed one for 17, but those were the only two wickets Australia managed in 20 overs. The Zimbabwe squad played smart cricket by not throwing their wickets away trying to reach 190.
Muzarabani Destroys Australia Top Order
Australia’s chase fell apart immediately as they crashed to 29 for 4 inside the powerplay. Muzarabani dismissed Josh Inglis off the first ball he faced and then ripped through the top order with pace and swing. Brad Evans supported him with three wickets for 23 runs as the pair combined for seven wickets between them.
Matt Renshaw fought back with 65 runs off 44 balls in his first T20 international fifty. He put on a partnership of 77 runs with Glenn Maxwell, who scored 31 off 32 balls. The pair brought Australia back into the game from 29 for 4 to 106 for 4, but Ryan Burl dismissed Maxwell when he dragged the ball onto his stumps.
Australia collapsed from 106 for 4 to 146 all out as wickets kept falling. Tim David made a duck, Nathan Ellis was bowled by Muzarabani, and the tail could not stay long enough to support Renshaw. Muzarabani finished with career best T20 international figures of four wickets for 17 runs in four overs, reaching 100 T20I wickets in his 85th match. He won the Player of the Match award for his spell.
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What This Result Means
Zimbabwe stayed unbeaten in the tournament with wins over Oman and Australia, putting them in a strong position to reach the Super Eight stage. The 11th-ranked team in the world had now beaten the second ranked Australia twice in T20 World Cups, showing they can compete with the best teams in pressure situations.
Australia faced a major setback after losing captain Mitchell Marsh to injury and having Cummins out, along with Josh Hazlewood. Travis Head led the team as stand in captain but could only manage 17 runs. Marcus Stoinis also injured his hand during the match, adding to Australia’s injury problems.
Australia now must beat Sri Lanka and Oman in their remaining Group B matches to have a chance of qualifying for the Super Eight stage. The 23-run loss hurt their net run rate and put pressure on their remaining fixtures. Zimbabwe’s controlled batting approach and brilliant pace bowling proved too much for an Australian team missing several key players.
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