Zimbabwe defeats Australia in T20 World Cup

New Delhi: Zimbabwe has created the first upset of the 2026 T20 World Cup by defeating Australia. Zimbabwe defeated the Kangaroos by 23 runs in a Group B match played on Friday, keeping alive their hopes of reaching the Super Eight stage. This wasn’t the first time Zimbabwe had defeated Australia; they had previously defeated the Kangaroos in the World Cup on two previous occasions. Interestingly, whenever India has upset Zimbabwe in the World Cup, it has been auspicious for India.

Australia suffers upset
Zimbabwe defeated the 2021 T20 World Cup champions, Australia, by 23 runs in the 19th match of this edition. The match was played at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Zimbabwe scored 169 runs for the loss of two wickets in 20 overs. In reply, Australia’s innings was reduced to 146 runs in 19.3 overs. The battle for Super 8 spots in Group B has also become more interesting. With this defeat, Australia faces the risk of being eliminated from the Super 8 race. They must now win all their matches. One defeat could dash their hopes.

100% T20 World Cup Record
This is Zimbabwe’s second T20 win over Australia. Previously, Zimbabwe defeated Australia by five wickets in the 2007 T20 World Cup. The two have faced each other four times so far, with Australia winning twice and Zimbabwe winning twice. Sikandar Raza’s team has a 100% win record against Australia in the T20 World Cup. This means the Kangaroos have never defeated Zimbabwe in this tournament.

How Zimbabwe’s defeat of Australia bodes well for India
Zimbabwe defeated Australia in the 1983 World Cup, and the Kapil Dev-led team was the champion at that time. Zimbabwe defeated Australia by 13 runs in the match played in Nottingham. This is Zimbabwe’s only victory over Australia in the ODI World Cup. Similarly, Zimbabwe defeated the Kangaroo team by five wickets in the Group B match of the 2007 T20 World Cup in Cape Town. In 2007, India again won the World Cup by defeating Pakistan in the final. Now that Zimbabwe has once again defeated Australia in the T20 World Cup, cricket fans are curious as to whether India is once again close to becoming world champions.