Kathmandu, Feb 13: The first major upset of the ICC T20 World Cup was recorded on Wednesday as Zimbabwe defeated Australia by 23 runs. This marks only the second time in T20 cricket history that Zimbabwe have beaten Australia, the first coming during the league stage of the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.

The match was played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, where Australia won the toss and opted to bowl first. Zimbabwe put up a strong performance, scoring 169 runs for the loss of just two wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

Zimbabwe’s innings was anchored by Brian Bennett, who remained unbeaten on 64 runs off 56 balls. This was his first half-century in a T20 World Cup and his 11th overall in T20 Internationals. Tadiwanashe Marumani and Ryan Burl contributed 35 runs each, while captain Sikandar Raza added a quick unbeaten 25 off 13 balls. For Australia, Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green picked up one wicket each.

Chasing 170, Australia struggled and were bowled out for 146 runs in 19.3 overs. Matt Renshaw top-scored with 65 runs, while Glenn Maxwell made 31. However, key batters including Travis Head, Josh Inglis, and Marcus Stoinis failed to make an impact. Tim David and Cameron Green were dismissed without scoring.

Zimbabwe’s bowling attack was led by Blessing Muzarabani, who claimed four wickets to dismantle the Australian batting lineup.

Australia also faced an injury concern during the match, as Marcus Stoinis was forced to leave the field midway after injuring his hand while attempting to stop a ball.

The result has significantly shaken up the tournament, with Zimbabwe announcing themselves as strong contenders and delivering one of the most memorable victories of the T20 World Cup so far.