Zimbabwe Recreate 2007 Magic to Deliver First Shock of T20 World Cup 2026

Finally, after a week of the T20 World Cup 2026, we have got the first upset of the tournament. And who expected that it would be Australia losing the game against an associate nation. Losing their game against Zimbabwe, this is the second time Australia has given an upset to the fans like this.

Zimbabwe Clinches the First Upset

It was Australia, who won the toss in this game and they decided to field first. Brian Bennett and Tadiwanshe Marumani gave a strong start to the team, as their batting style prevented them from losing wickets. Marumani and Ryan Burl were able to score 35 runs each for the team, as Bennett continued to score well.

Sikandar Raza went on to score 25 runs off 13 balls in the death overs. With Brian Bennett scoring 64 runs off 56, this eventually helped Zimbabwe to post 169 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in their innings. Only Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green were able to take wickets for the Australian team. Taking a look at Australia's batting line-up, this seemed to be an easy chase for the team.

Glenn Maxwell and Matt Renshaw made it appear that chasing the score is possible. But Maxwell lost his wicket after scoring 31 runs off 32, and Renshaw lost his wicket to Muzarabani after scoring 65. Eventually, the lower order of Australia failed to score well, matching the required run rate.

Zimbabwe was able to bowl Australia all out at the score of 146. The Aussies went on to lose this game by 23 runs, making it their first loss in the initial two league stage games they have played. Blessing Muzarabani won the Player of the Match award, as he took 4 wickets in his spell of 4 overs, while conceding just 17 runs.

With their win over Australia in the 2026 T20 World Cup, Zimbabwe has reminded the fans about their infamous 2007 T20 World Cup win over them. It was again a Group stage game, as Australia was batting first in Cape Town. Zimbabwe was able to take an upper hand early in this game, as they put Australia down at the score of 19/3 in 4 overs.

Andrew Symonds, Michael Hussey, and Brad Hodge went on to score some runs for the team in the middle order. But the lower order was not able to contribute well, due to which Australia scored just 138 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. Hodge scored 35 runs off 22, and Symonds scored 33 runs off 25. For Zimbabwe, Elton Chigumbura took 3 wickets in 3 overs, as Gary Brent took 2.

The chase seemed short but Australia was not going down without a fight. Vusi was able to give a good start to the team but he got dismissed after scoring 23 runs off 15 balls. Following this, some quick wickets fell which put Zimbabwe at the score of 70/4 in 11 overs. Everyone thought that the match was gone, but Brendan Taylor got the support of Hamilton Masakadza.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

Eventually, Zimbabwe was able to win this game with 5 wickets and 1 ball remaining. Brendan Taylor remained the star of the chase, as he went on to score 60 runs off 45 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes. The partnership between Taylor and Masakadza opened the way for Zimbabwe to get the win.