Key events
Australia and Zimbabwe have minimal history of meeting in T20Is with only two clashes since Prosper Utseya’s side pulled off the shock of the 2007 T20 World Cup. Normal service was resumed when Australia beat Zimbabwe convincingly in a pair of matches in Harare in 2018, with the first win set up by Aaron Finch’s fireworks. The Australia captain hammered 172 from 76 balls in a devastating knock that still stands as the second highest by a men’s batter in the international format.
Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the T20 World Cup group B match between Australia and Zimbabwe in Colombo. Both sides made winning starts to their campaign with the undermanned Australia brushing aside Ireland by 67 runs, and Zimbabwe making even lighter work of Oman in an eight-wicket victory. But there is little margin for error from here with only the top two in each five-team group to progress to the Super Eight stage, and co-host Sri Lanka also likely to challenge for those pivotal places.
Australia captain Mitch Marsh is unlikely to be fit to face Zimbabwe after copping a painful blow to the, ahem, midriff in training ahead of the team’s T20 World Cup opener. Tim David is also expected to miss today’s game at R. Premadasa Cricket Stadium as a thin squad continues to teeter on the brink of an injury crisis. The absence of the heavy-hitting duo might help open the door for Zimbabwe to pull off what would be a huge upset though it remains to be seen whether Steve Smith is parachuted into the Australia XI after getting a late call-up to join the squad.
The two sides are at least somewhat unfamiliar to each other after not crossing paths in a global tournament or bilateral series since playing three ODIs in north Queensland in 2022. But Zimbabwe will be happy to look back further to the time when they stunned Australia at the first T20 World Cup way back in 2007.
Toss and confirmed teams will be coming up shortly – with first ball to be bowled at 4.30pm AEDT / 11am local in Colombo / 5.30am GMT – so please take the time to get in touch with your thoughts and predictions. Drop me an email or find me @martinpegan on Bluesky or X.
