New Delhi, February 13: Zimbabwe has caused a significant upset by defeating Australia by 23 runs in the T20 World Cup 2026. This marks the fifth occasion in cricket history where Zimbabwe has secured a victory against Australia. The Zimbabwean team has now defeated Australia twice in T20 format and three times in One Day Internationals (ODIs). This victory adds to their previous wins against Australia in the ODI World Cup 1983 and the T20 World Cup 2007.
In the ODI World Cup 1983, played on June 9 in Nottingham, Zimbabwe scored 239 runs for the loss of 6 wickets, with Duncan Fletcher contributing an unbeaten 69 runs off 84 balls. Ian Buchan added 34 runs to the total. Australia, in response, managed only 226 runs for 7 wickets in their allotted 60 overs, losing the match by a narrow margin of 13 runs. Kepler Wessels top-scored for Australia with 76 runs from 130 balls, while Rod Marsh contributed 50 runs. Duncan Fletcher was the standout bowler for Zimbabwe, taking 4 wickets for 42 runs.
In the T20 World Cup 2007, held on September 12 in Cape Town, Australia could only muster 138 runs, losing 9 wickets. Brad Hogg was the top scorer for Australia with an unbeaten 35 runs, while Andrew Symonds contributed 33 runs. Elton Chigumbura was the star bowler for Zimbabwe, taking 3 wickets. Zimbabwe chased down the target successfully, winning the match with 5 wickets remaining, thanks to Brendan Taylor’s unbeaten 60 runs off 45 balls.
In the recent T20 World Cup 2026 match held in Colombo, Zimbabwe set a target of 169 runs, with Brian Bennett scoring an unbeaten 64 runs. In reply, Australia was bowled out for 146 runs in 19.3 overs, with Matt Renshaw scoring the highest for Australia with 65 runs. Blessing Muzarabani was the standout bowler for Zimbabwe, claiming 4 wickets.
Deependra Singh Chundawat is a Senior Sub-Editor at Udaipur Kiran, specializing in a wide range of technology topics including mobile phones, applications, gaming, PCs, and wearables. Along with covering the latest tech news, he also creates engaging web stories. Passionate about emerging technologies, he stays up to date with the newest trends and enjoys reading and writing about the latest mobile launches and digital innovations.