Zimbabwe stun Australia by 23 runs to pull off first major upset of 2026 T20 World Cup

1 min readUpdated: Feb 13, 2026 02:51 PM IST

Zimbabwe on Friday stunned former champions Australia by 23 runs in the 2026 T20 World Cup Group B match between the two sides at the R Premadasa Stadium. Chasing a target of 170, Australia were sent packing for a score of 146. Fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani led the way with figures of 4/17.

Zimbabwe picked as many as four wickets in the powerplay, leaving Australia tottering at 29/4 at one point. Muzarabani and Brad Evans removed Australia’s Josh Inglis, Cam Green, Tim David and Travis Head within the first four overs.  Glenn Maxwell and Matt Renshaw then held up the Australian hopes for a while but they could never quite get going at a decent run rate. Maxwell eventually fell after an uncharacteristically sluggish innings, putting together just 31 runs in 32 balls.