Australia vs Zimbabwe, 19th Match, Group B, ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 - Commentary
Start Time
11:00 AM
5:30 AMGMT
11:00 AMLOCAL
Australia opt to bowl
Have Your Say
Australian players break from their huddle and head to their positions as the openers walk out to the middle. We are ready for the first ball.
The match officials lead the way onto the field, followed by the players from both teams. They now stand together for the national anthems, with the energy in the stadium building just before play begins.
Teams:
Australia (Playing XI): Travis Head(c), Josh Inglis(w), Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Matthew Kuhnemann
Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza(c), Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Graeme Cremer, Blessing Muzarabani
Sikandar Raza - Yeah, probably that's not really a bad thing because I think the wicket is actually quite good at the start and it starts to get slower hopefully when the sun comes out, it will get slowest. And we picked an extra spinner for today anyway, so I think it suits really well. I think on this surface, ideally you want to be touch fuller because the bounce between these two surfaces are close to 13cm and that's quite a lot. If you bowl the same length here, I think it could sit up really nicely for them. So we just have to try and find the top of stump there and I think stay there. And hopefully it looks slow, but hopefully it starts to turn as well and that'll be interesting. Yeah, absolutely. We don't get a lot of bilateral against them, so suddenly ICC has given us this dance floor and all I'm asking for is that we should take full advantage of them, try and put our best foot forward and give them a really good game as well and see what happens after that. We've got two changes unfortunately. Brendan Taylor picked up an injury and he's been ruled out of the competition. On the other hand, Richard Ngarava is more of a precautionary measure. His first scan and second scan has come back pretty positive. So he misses out today as well. And for those, Tony Munyonga and Greame Creamer are in.
Travis Head: We will bowl. Well, I mean, one eye is obviously on the cricket and the other on the fitness issues. But we’re used to a bit of chaos early in competitions like this. We’ve had it before. It’s a really good group, calm, and we’re in a good space. We played well the other night, so our challenge now is to back that up and put in another strong performance. I think it’s about dealing with the conditions. I felt we did that really, really well. We want to keep the pressure on the run rate. We probably did it in a different way than we naturally do, but that’s down to the wicket conditions. It’s a different wicket today as well, so it’s about summing up the conditions, adapting well, and playing smart cricket. No, (Smith) he’s not here yet. He played golf a couple of days ago, I think he’s in Chennai. It’ll be nice having him around, and hopefully the skipper gets fit soon. Two changes for us - Connolly and Bartlett sit out, Ben Dwarshius and Tim David are back into the XI.
Australia have won the toss and have opted to field
Zimbabwe also enter this game full of confidence after an easy eight-wicket win over Oman. Their pace trio of Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, and Brad Evans led the way by taking nine wickets together, while their batters chased down the target without any trouble. While playing Australia is a much bigger challenge, Zimbabwe will aim to use their current momentum to pull off an upset. Stay tuned for toss and team updates.
10:00 Local Time, 04:30 GMT, 10:00 IST: Australia and Zimbabwe face off today at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, with both teams looking to keep their winning streaks alive in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Australia started strong with a 67-run win over Ireland, where bowlers Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa took four wickets each to dominate. Despite missing some of their regular fast bowlers, the Aussies showed they can adapt quickly to the spinning conditions in Sri Lanka.
Preview:
After a slightly delayed but emphatic start to their 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, Australia will look to build momentum when they face Zimbabwe in the day game at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday. Australia are coming off a 67-run win over Ireland, while Zimbabwe began with an eight-wicket demolition of Oman and will enter the contest high on confidence.
Even without their premier quicks, Australia found control through Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa, who claimed four wickets apiece to keep Ireland in check. The bowling unit looked balanced, and the batters adjusted smartly to conditions to post 182 on a surface that offered assistance to the slower bowlers. It was a total that proved more than competitive, underlining Australia's ability to assess and adapt. Another clinical outing is what they will be hoping for as they look to take a step closer to the knockouts.
Zimbabwe, too, will seek continuity. Their opening game was defined by pace, with Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava and Brad Evans picking up three wickets each to dismantle Oman. Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani then ensured there were no hiccups in the chase. The step up in opposition is significant, but Zimbabwe will hope to carry forward the clarity and conviction of their first performance and test Australia more sternly.
When: Friday, February 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM Local Time
Where: Match 19, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
What to expect: This will be the first 11 AM start of the tournament at the R Premadasa Stadium, raising the possibility of early assistance for the bowlers. Sri Lanka successfully defended 163 here in a 7 PM fixture against Ireland, while Australia cruised past the same opposition after batting first in a 3 PM start. An even earlier game pushes both sides into relatively uncharted territory, but the template may still lean towards batting first and applying scoreboard pressure, especially if there is early movement on offer. Scattered thunderstorms are forecast for the afternoon, which could bring DLS calculations into play if the match extends into that window.
Head to head: Australia have a 2-1 record over Zimbabwe in T20Is. Zimbabwe's only win against them came in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup, in which Brendan Taylor played a key role.
Team News:
Australia: Australia were without Mitchell Marsh in the opening game as he continued his recovery from a groin injury, while Tim David also sat out with a hamstring concern. "He's flying, he's running, fielding. And yeah, he's hitting the ball miles. So I hope we see him in the next game. If not, maybe the game after that. Not sure," Nathan Ellis had said of David after the previous match. Both players will be keen for game time, but with sterner assignments looming, Australia may yet choose caution and manage their return rather than rush them back.
Probable XI: Travis Head (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Matthew Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa
Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor limped off after retiring hurt in the win over Oman, casting a shadow over an otherwise dominant outing. Skipper Sikandar Raza struck a cautious note afterwards: "Hopefully, we've got three or four days, but we'll wait for the scan. His initial reaction was, 'I think it's bad', but we'll wait for the medical report." Blessing Muzarabani, speaking later at the press conference suggested it might have been 'a little cramp' and not 'anything serious'. If that proves to be the case, Zimbabwe could well stick with an unchanged XI.
Probable XI: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sikandar Raza (c), Ryan Burl, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani
What they said:
"I don't look at myself as the leader of the attack. It means a lot for me to be here in the Australian jersey at a World Cup. That's probably the biggest thing" - Nathan Ellis, on taking the lead role in the absence of Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.
"We clearly believe that we can actually beat those teams, but we have to play our best cricket to win against them. So a good ball is going to be a good ball. They're going to be a tough opponent but we believe that we play the best cricket, we win good positions" - Blessing Muzarabani, on facing Australia and Sri Lanka.
After a slightly delayed but emphatic start to their 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, Australia will look to build momentum when they face Zimbabwe in the day game at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday. Australia are coming off a 67-run win over Ireland, while Zimbabwe began with an eight-wicket demolition of Oman and will enter the contest high on confidence.
Even without their premier quicks, Australia found control through Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa, who claimed four wickets apiece to keep Ireland in check. The bowling unit looked balanced, and the batters adjusted smartly to conditions to post 182 on a surface that offered assistance to the slower bowlers. It was a total that proved more than competitive, underlining Australia's ability to assess and adapt. Another clinical outing is what they will be hoping for as they look to take a step closer to the knockouts.
Zimbabwe, too, will seek continuity. Their opening game was defined by pace, with Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava and Brad Evans picking up three wickets each to dismantle Oman. Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani then ensured there were no hiccups in the chase. The step up in opposition is significant, but Zimbabwe will hope to carry forward the clarity and conviction of their first performance and test Australia more sternly.
When: Friday, February 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM Local Time
Where: Match 19, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
What to expect: This will be the first 11 AM start of the tournament at the R Premadasa Stadium, raising the possibility of early assistance for the bowlers. Sri Lanka successfully defended 163 here in a 7 PM fixture against Ireland, while Australia cruised past the same opposition after batting first in a 3 PM start. An even earlier game pushes both sides into relatively uncharted territory, but the template may still lean towards batting first and applying scoreboard pressure, especially if there is early movement on offer. Scattered thunderstorms are forecast for the afternoon, which could bring DLS calculations into play if the match extends into that window.
Head to head: Australia have a 2-1 record over Zimbabwe in T20Is. Zimbabwe's only win against them came in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup, in which Brendan Taylor played a key role.
Team News:
Australia: Australia were without Mitchell Marsh in the opening game as he continued his recovery from a groin injury, while Tim David also sat out with a hamstring concern. "He's flying, he's running, fielding. And yeah, he's hitting the ball miles. So I hope we see him in the next game. If not, maybe the game after that. Not sure," Nathan Ellis had said of David after the previous match. Both players will be keen for game time, but with sterner assignments looming, Australia may yet choose caution and manage their return rather than rush them back.
Probable XI: Travis Head (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Matthew Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa
Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor limped off after retiring hurt in the win over Oman, casting a shadow over an otherwise dominant outing. Skipper Sikandar Raza struck a cautious note afterwards: "Hopefully, we've got three or four days, but we'll wait for the scan. His initial reaction was, 'I think it's bad', but we'll wait for the medical report." Blessing Muzarabani, speaking later at the press conference suggested it might have been 'a little cramp' and not 'anything serious'. If that proves to be the case, Zimbabwe could well stick with an unchanged XI.
Probable XI: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sikandar Raza (c), Ryan Burl, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani
What they said:
"I don't look at myself as the leader of the attack. It means a lot for me to be here in the Australian jersey at a World Cup. That's probably the biggest thing" - Nathan Ellis, on taking the lead role in the absence of Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.
"We clearly believe that we can actually beat those teams, but we have to play our best cricket to win against them. So a good ball is going to be a good ball. They're going to be a tough opponent but we believe that we play the best cricket, we win good positions" - Blessing Muzarabani, on facing Australia and Sri Lanka.
Squads:
Zimbabwe Squad: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers, Brendan Taylor(w), Sikandar Raza(c), Ryan Burl, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Tony Munyonga, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Graeme Cremer
Australia Squad: Travis Head(c), Josh Inglis(w), Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa, Ben Dwarshuis, Tim David, Mitchell Marsh
