Zimbabwe pulled off a huge surprise on Friday in Colombo beating Australia by 23 runs and now Group B is really messy and no one knows what’s happening. Zimbabwe batted first at R Premadasa Stadium and scored 169 for 2. Brian Bennett was solid, stayed not out on 64, didn’t panic, just kept hitting when needed. Ryan Burl also chipped in with 35 runs and together they made a good partnership in the middle overs, helped the team cross 100 easily.
Powerplay was good for Zimbabwe, 47 without losing a wicket, Australia tried to stop them with Maxwell and Zampa bowling but didn’t work. Raza, the captain, scored 25 and finished with a six, looked cool. Bowling side was strong too, Muzarabani took 4 wickets for 17 runs, Evans got 3, Australia were just not ready. In the end Australia made 146 in 19.3 overs and Zimbabwe celebrated.
He’s proud, team showed unity, culture
-Raza
Australia’s batting started badly, lost 4 wickets in 5 overs, everyone panicked. Maxwell scored 31 but got out, Renshaw tried with 65 runs too, but Zimbabwe kept pressure and didn’t let them score freely. Even Stoinis got hit on hand trying to stop a big hit from Burl. Head said it was tricky pitch, wickets fell early, Australia struggled, Zimbabwe did it better.
This is first time Australia lost to Zimbabwe in T20 World Cup in 19 years, and Zimbabwe started well in powerplay and handled the attack fine, Bennett, Burl, Raza, everyone did their bit. Australia now plays Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe faces Ireland next. Win keeps Zimbabwe unbeaten and makes group stage super competitive now. Fans are excited, Twitter is full of reactions.
It was one of those games where everything looked hard for one side and Zimbabwe just kept calm, managed innings, partnerships, pressure, wickets. They showed they can beat anyone if they play like this.
Source: Reuters