AUS vs ZIM Highlights, T20 World Cup 2026: Zimbabwe's stellar performance shocks Australia for first upset of the WC

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Halfway stage of the chase and Australia are well behind the required, but at least they have a strong partnership forming between Renshaw and Maxwell here.

103 off 10 overs needed in the back half. Zimbabwe need to force them to take risks.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Scratch that – Raza limping off-field. Might have pulled something, it looks like. This group has been rife with injuries – and now Zimbabwe are at least temporarily without a captain on field.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: The required rate steadily climbing. Spinners will begin coming into play now. Maxwell there, and Stoinis has appeared in the duguout – will be ready to bat if he's needed.

Looks like Raza has gone down with cramp here. Struggling but should be okay.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Truly dominant bowling display from Zimbabwe thus far. Muzarabani showing why he's so highly rated. And true capitulation from Australia. They still have Maxwell at the crease – will this kind of situation manage to bring the best out of him?

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: WHAT A PERIOD OF PLAY FOR ZIMBABWE! Incredible out here in Colombo, where Australia suddenly find themselves FOUR down! A bit of luck going their way too as a thick inside edge comes back to strike Head on his boot, before trickling onto his stumps – and now it's real jeopardy. Evans with his second too.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: WHAT A START FOR ZIMBABWE! Blessing Muzarabani making use of all his height and pace, well-directed into the body yet again, and David has no control of it on his return as all he can do is shovel it down to fine leg inside the circle!

25/3 now and Zimbabwe are giving the Aussies a proper scare!

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Huge moment! Just the early success Zimbabwe needed. This short ball ploy has undone him in the past, and does again. The height and steeple of Muzarabani tucks him up so he can't get the power on it, and it is very nicely taken at deep fine leg, diving forward by Musekiwa.

Zimbabwe are in this game.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Took Zimbabwe until the last over of the innings to get their first six, takes Inglis 4 balls. Head with 4 in that over too, 13/0.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Back for the chase now. Travis Head and Josh Inglis could settle this as a contest in the powerplay – probably the two most important wickets of the tournament for Zimbabwe. Here we go.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Excellent last over from Ellis, but he does concede the first six of the innings on its last ball! Raza swings away and Zimbabwe finish on 169/2. Deceptively strong total on a pitch that only looks like it is getting slower and slower.

Bennett carries his bat with 64*, Raza ends with a cameo of 25*. Not a spicy pitch, but one on which scoring is tough. You back Australia to chase 170, but should be a good contest.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Really important over off Dwarshuis after Ellis had a quiet over! Three boundaries smashed in that over and the score keeps ticking along – 170+ the ambition from here, but closer to 180 would be better.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: That will be one kind of ointment for Stoinis! Green comes on to bowl the last one of his over, and dismisses Ryan Burl – big top edge, easily taken. He was the batter flexing his power, so Australia will know that's an important breakthrough.

131/2 with 4 overs to play.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Their luck has really been rotten. Stoinis bowling, has a ball smashed right back at him by Burl, and it hits him really hard on his left hand. He immediately cradles it, and walks off the field with the physio. Could be a dislocation, maybe a fracture – hoping nothing that significant.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: It hasn't been the fastest innings, off 43 deliveries, but on a slow surface and against big boundaries, it is a fine showing by the 22-year-old to get set and ready to go in Colombo. At 125/1 after 15, it will be about how he can translate this into a big finish.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: The runs keep coming in this partnership. They have done the hard work well, but now it is about converting this start into a big score in the last third of this innings. With plenty of batting to come, big shots must follow.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: They needed an over with a boundary or two and Burl has produced just that against Nathan Ellis. First with a pull shot, next with a powerful straight drive. Good to take down Australia's strike bowler too.

99/1 after 12.

Good first half of the innings for Zimbabwe, who have kept wickets in hand but also scored at a solid rate through this innings. Bennett well set now on 33* at run-a-ball, but needs to begin playing some shots with plenty of batting to come.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Stoinis does the trick! Slower one cut across Marumani, whi gets cramped by a skiddy delivery and can only thick edge it behind to Inglis.

Good innings from him to add the momentum. 62/1 now, nearly 8 overs in.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Solid powerplay from Zimbabwe, nothing crazy but keeping the score ticking along and staying at the crease.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Great over for Zimbabwe! Three boundaries from Marumani, two off the regulation sweep, and one with a cracking reverse sweep. He's quickly onto 21*, and the score sits 31/0 after 4.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Two quiet overs early on with no boundaries conceded so far. Just 8 off these two overs.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Early review used up by Australia. Dwarshuis goes short into Bennett's hips, and it looks as if it has flicked off his thigh pad to Inglis. But Inglis is convinced there is some bat or glove, so Head sends it upstairs – but the umpire had it right. Nothing but thigh-pad.

Just 4 off the first over.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Set to go now! Ben Dwarshuis comes in and gets the fresh new ball. Faces against in-touch Brian Bennett. Off we go!

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Zimbabwe have been stung by the injury bug as well. Brendan Taylor ruled out of the tournament, while Richard Ngarava is sitting out as a precautionary measure. Munyonga and Cremer come in.

Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (c), Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: A pair of changes in personnel for Australia – Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett sit out with Tim David returning and Ben Dwarshuis providing some left arm seam.

Travis Head (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Green, Tim David, Matt Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Ellis, Ben Dwarshuis, Matt Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Travis Head wins the toss, and chooses to bowl first! Couple of changes for Australia, the good news is that Tim David marks his return from his hamstring injury. Head also confirms Smith will join the squad later tonight.

A couple of injury enforced changes for Zimbabwe too, including the vastly experienced Brendan Taylor being ruled out of the tournament.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Zimbabwe, on the other hend, will find their strangth in a mixture of long-time experience – internationally for players like Brandan Taylor, and in franchise leagues for Sikander Raza. Amongst those names, the talent is scattered through, with Blessings Muzarbani leading the line and many trying to stake thei claim in this unit.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: 60 minutes from whe we will see the toss from the R Premadasa Stadium. India will back a combination of Glenn Mawell, Cooper Conolly, and most significantly Adam Zampa – conditions should helpful for the tweakers, with this venue playing exactly as you would have expected in the lead-up to the tournament.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Even in the absence of Mitch Marsh and Tim David this a formidable Australian batting unit – and with Steven Smith reportedly flying in, set to receive some bolster as well. Travis Head at the top of the order alongside Cameron Green and Josh Inglis, with Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis coming in later in the innings, and the potential to plunder runs is certainly very high.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Zimbabwe also had a strong start to their tournament thanks in large part to their bowling stepping up and bowling their opponents on 103. The chase was always a straightforward one from that point – only two wickets lost as they hauled it down inside 14 overs, setting themselves up for the remainder of the group stage.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Mitchel Marsh was hit by injury in the lead-up to the tournament, as a mishap in the nets left him with some testicular bleeding. Travis Head was forced to stand-in as captain and is expected to do so today as well, with no timeline on Marsh's return. With no Tim David either, and Pat Cummins and Hazlewood also dropping out, this is certainly a depleted Australian squad on the face of it.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: With this being the group that is playing most of its games in Sri Lanka, both Australia and Zimbabwe had positive starts to their respective tournaments. Zimbabwe coasted past Oman in their opener, while Australia were solid and comprehensive in their win over Ireland. With home team Sri Lanka also in the group, wins will be key early on – and if Zimbabwe can pull off an upset here, things get really interesting in the race for the next stage.

Australia vs Zimbabwe LIVE Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Welcome back to the R Premadasa Stadium, as the World Cup caravan continues to roll on. An Australian team bit by the injury bug is back in action, against Zimbabwe after their opening victory over Oman. Catch all the live updates right here as we build up to this important match in Group B.