Sri Lanka, Feb. 13 -- Zimbabwe produced the first major shock of the T20 World Cup 2026, defeating former champions Australia by 23 runs at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Defending a competitive total of 169, the Zimbabwean bowling attack, led by a career-best performance from Blessing Muzarabani, dismantled the Australian batting order to secure their first World Cup win over the Aussies since their famous inaugural meeting in 2007.

The foundation for the upset was laid by young opener Brian Bennett, who anchored the Zimbabwean innings with a composed, unbeaten 64 off 56 balls. On a surface that offered plenty for the bowlers, Bennett's knock provided the stability needed for late-order cameos. Captain Sikandar Raza added a brisk 25 off 13 deliveries, including a massive six off the final ball of the innings, to propel Zimbabwe to 169/2.

Australia's chase began in disastrous fashion, losing four wickets inside the powerplay for just 34 runs. Blessing Muzarabani was the primary architect of the collapse, removing Josh Inglis in his first over before returning to dismiss Tim David for a duck. Brad Evans supported brilliantly, cleaning up stand-in skipper Travis Head and removing Cameron Green to leave the Australian middle order exposed.

A fighting 77-run partnership between Matt Renshaw (65) and Glenn Maxwell (31) briefly revived Australian hopes, but the pressure of the mounting scoreboard eventually told. Ryan Burl broke the stand by bowling Maxwell, and once Renshaw fell to Muzarabani in the 19th over, the tail folded quickly. Muzarabani finished with remarkable figures of 4/17, while Evans claimed three wickets to help bowl Australia out for 146 in 19.3 overs.

The victory moves Zimbabwe to the top of Group B alongside hosts Sri Lanka, both with four points from two matches. For Australia, the defeat puts their tournament progress in jeopardy, making their upcoming fixtures against Oman and Sri Lanka "must-win" games to secure a spot in the Super 8 stage.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.