Australia has been eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2026 at the group stage for the first time since 2009 after Zimbabwe’s match against Ireland was washed out in Kandy.
With the no-result confirming Zimbabwe’s Super 8s qualification on five points while simultaneously ending both Australia’s and Ireland’s tournament hopes, a humiliating exit for a nation that entered the tournament as one of the favourites.
How Australia’s Campaign Unravelled
The writing was on the wall long before the rain fell in Kandy. Australia’s campaign was crippled from the start by a toxic combination of injuries, poor selection, and underwhelming performances.
Captain Mitchell Marsh featured only once, and the controversial decision not to include Steve Smith drew fierce criticism from legendary batter Mark Waugh, who called it “the most baffling non-selection I can remember for ages.”
The absence of Mitchell Starc through retirement, alongside injuries to Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, left Australia without their entire world-champion pace trio for the first time in over a decade.
The bowling attack managed just four wickets across their final two matches. After beating Ireland in their opener, successive defeats to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, where Pathum Nissanka smashed a century off 52 balls, ended their campaign.
Zimbabwe’s Remarkable Rise
Zimbabwe’s qualification is a stunning achievement for a side that missed the previous World Cup entirely, having battled through sub-regional and regional qualifiers to reach this stage.
Their 23-run win over Australia proved to be the defining moment of the group.
Captain Sikandar Raza kept his feet firmly on the ground, saying, “This is just a tick in the box. Everyone loves an underdog story, and we have a lot more to achieve.” Zimbabwe now advances to Super 8 Group G1 alongside India, South Africa and West Indies.
