Zimbabwe produced one of the biggest upsets in T20 World Cup history, as the Sikandar Raza-led side stunned Australia by 23 runs at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The victory keeps the Chevrons firmly in contention for a place in the Super 8, with Ireland and Sri Lanka games awaiting. Meanwhile, chasing 170 runs, Australia faltered under pressure and were bowled out for 146, failing to deliver with either bat or ball.
The defeat comes amid a string of injury concerns for the side. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have already been ruled out of the tournament, while captain Mitchell Marsh missed the clash due to a groin injury. Despite the setbacks, the squad still boasted significant firepower, with the likes of Travis Head, Cameron Green, Tim David, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis capable of turning a game in their favour. However, none could make a decisive impact as Australia slumped to a crushing loss.
After the match, stand-in skipper Travis Head addressed the team’s current struggles, drawing parallels with their campaign at the ODI World Cup 2023. Australia had faced early setbacks in that tournament before regrouping to lift the trophy. Head emphasised that the team intends to follow a similar blueprint to regain momentum and restore confidence within the dressing room.
“We've been here before. We said at the toss a little bit about 23 and having injuries and working through navigating through tournament play, which is typical. And we're seeing a lot of tight games. All the teams are very good. And yeah, we've found ourselves in this position before. We had a few guys in that dressing room who were here in India in 23 that navigated through that and we ended up on the right side of it. So, we'll go back to the blueprint of that to keep as much confidence in the dressing room as possible and two more games to win,” Head said in the post-match presentation.
What’s next for Australia?
Australia will play Sri Lanka and Oman in their remaining two matches in the T20 World Cup. Ahead of that, the team management would hope Marsh to recover to full fitness, or else Steve Smith may get added to the squad, as he is already in Sri Lanka, part as a travelling reserve.
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