Colombo, February 13: Zimbabwe achieved a remarkable upset in the T20 World Cup 2026, defeating Australia by 23 runs on Friday. Captain Sikandar Raza expressed immense pride in his team’s all-round performance.
Batting first, Zimbabwe scored 169 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. In response, the Australian team was bowled out for just 146 runs in 19.3 overs. Blessing Muzarabani was the standout performer for Zimbabwe, claiming 4 wickets for just 17 runs.
Raza described the victory as a special moment, stating, “I am very happy, but above all, I am very proud, like a brother feeling for his younger brother who is achieving so much together. It was great to see how the team performed.”
Despite struggling with cramps during the match, Raza provided an update on his fitness, saying, “This has happened to me before. It’s not the first time in Sri Lanka, but sometimes, you know, the pressure of the match and leading a team can lead to such issues. But I can assure you, it’s just cramps. I know that with good recovery in the next couple of days, everything will be fine.”
He added, “At 70 runs in 10 overs, we were happy. I know someone in the dressing room said we could make 190 runs, but I said, ‘No. If we chase 190 now, we will be all out for 140. Just play at 8-9 runs per over and see what happens.’ We understand from past tours in Sri Lanka that the wicket slows down. If you try to be too aggressive too quickly, wickets fall rapidly.”
Zimbabwe will face Ireland in their next group stage match of the T20 World Cup 2026 on February 17 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.
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.
