That’s all from me – thanks for following along as Zimbabwe showed that history does repeat with a stunning T20 World Cup victory over Australia.Here is the full report …Sikandar Raza can barely contain his excitement, not that he’s really trying as he rightly talks up Zimbabwe’s all round performance even before looking ahead.But there is still the slight matter of cramps that forced the Zimbabwe captain from the field several times during Australia’s chase.These are just cramps and I should be fine in the next day or two with a bit of rest.I’m very happy and very proud.

I have the feeling of a brother whose younger brothers have achieved something together.The culture, environment, and unity we’ve created in this team is amazing and to win is unbelievable.The boys deserve to enjoy the win today.If we stick to the same processes, and take it one game at a time … we are in a great position but it doesn’t mean anything.The next game is now the most important one.

Australia’s stand-in skipper Travis Head won the toss and sent Zimbabwe in.He is reluctant to concede that the decision backfired as focuses on the loss of early wickets.We thought it was a good wicket.It was a bit sticky at the start and we thought it would be even through the two innings.Even though we only took two wickets, I thought they were a bit under par.

Then we lost early wickets and came under pressure.They played well.I still felt like we could have reached their score and we were happy to chase that.We put ourselves under pressure by losing wickets.There was a partnership in the middle but we left ourselves with too many.

We’ve been here before.We saw it in 2023 with a few defeats and injuries.We have a few guys here who were there in India in 2023.We’ll look to navigate this situation and use that blueprint.Blessing Muzarabani is player of the match after taking career-best figures of 4 for 17.

He speaks while accepting his richly-deserved award.I was bowling to some of the best players in the world so I am really happy it came off.I saw the boundary was in my favour and I just had to use that and the wicket was also a bit slow.Brad Evans bowled really well, we missed Richie [Ngarava] but Brad bowled really well and then everyone else also bowled very well.It’s really good to beat Australia, but it would be nice to qualify, so we’re looking forward to the next game.

In a repeat of their triumph over the same opponent at the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, Zimbabwe have stunned Australia with a 23-run victory.The Zimbabwe openers set the tone with a blazing 61-run stand, while Brian Bennett remained undefeated on 64 and captain Sikandar Raza brought the fireworks late with 25 not out from 13 balls.Blessing Muzarabani continued his stellar form with the ball with 4 for 17 and was rightly handed the player of the match award as Brad Evans (3 for 23) also picked up crucial wickets to ensure that Australia’s top order crumbled.Matt Renshaw (65 from 44) played a lone hand to show that he belongs at the level as he attempted to guide Australia to their 170-run target.When Glenn Maxwell (31) departed with 64 runs still to get the comeback looked unlikely, and so it proved Muzarabani and Evans returned to bowl at the death and sealed a shock result in Colombo.

A top-class performance from Zimbabwe with the ball and in the field has sealed a huge upset over Australia.Adam Zampa can offer little resistance as Muzarabani finishes with 4 for 17.19th over: Australia 141-9 (Ellis 2, Kuhnemann 0)Renshaw goes as he hits a straighter delivery off the toe of the bat and that all but ends Australia’s hopes.It was a top quality knock from the left-hander with 65 from 44 balls with one six and five boundaries, but in the end he ran out of partners and was forced to take all the risks.18th over: Australia 136-7 (Renshaw 63, Ellis 1) Munyonga’s screamer helps put Zimbabwe on the brink of victory as they have been excellent in the field all innings.

But there is still hope for Australia as Renshaw remains at the crease and the left-hander smokes a boundary straight down the ground,Munyonga pulls in a cracking catch as he runs around the deep midwicket rope and dives to claim the ball just as it looks set to sneak through to the rope,That will be one of the catches of the tournament and goes a long way to sealing a huge upset in Colombo,17th over: Australia 129-6 (Renshaw 58, Dwarshuis 5) Cremer comes into the attack with his leg-spinners proving difficult to get away,He restricts the Australians to one and twos and only seven runs from the over.

16th over: Australia 122-6 (Renshaw 55, Dwarshuis 1) Matt Renshaw brings up his first T20I fifty as Australia’s hopes are heaped on his shoulders.After Stoinis throws away his wicket, the left-hander keeps the runs flowing with a boundary down the leg side and almost behind the keeper.Marcus Stoinis looks to go large early but gets too far under the shot and picks out Musekiwa charging in from the rope at deep midwicket.That wasn’t the shot for this stage of the game as Renshaw is now at risk of running out of partners.15th over: Australia 114-5 (Renshaw 49, Stoinis 5) Zimbabwe can breathe a sigh of relief with Glenn Maxwell back in the pavilion.

But Marcus Stoinis shows few signs of the finger injury that ended his bowling spell as he blasts a reverse sweeps his first ball faced to the rope.Zimbabwe get the huge wicket of the Big Show as Glenn Maxwell chops a wide, unthreatening delivery from Ryan Burl back on to his stumps.14th over: Australia 105-4 (Maxwell 31, Renshaw 45) SIX! Renshaw brings up triple figures with a sublime drive straight down the ground and over the fence.He backs it up with a clever sweep past short fine leg as the batter carries his fine BBL form on to a global stage.That’ll be drinks before we turn for home in what already looms as a T20 thriller.

13th over: Australia 93-4 (Maxwell 30, Renshaw 34) There are fewer and fewer signs of Zimbabwe cracking under pressure as Cremer adds to the highlights reel of fielding near the rope.Maxwell slogs to deep midwicket and the ball is travelling over Cremer’s head as all he can do is knock it back into play.Casual running from the Australians means they only pick up a single but this duo suddenly seem intent on addressing the mounting concerns over the required run-rate.12th over: Australia 83-4 (Maxwell 28, Renshaw 26) DROP! SIX! Myers almost takes a screamer on the rope as Maxwell looks to break the shackles.He had to run a long way around the boundary from long-on to reach the ball, jumped high but was unable to control the catch as he tumbled over the rope.

Sub fielder Clive Madande shows him how it’s done when keeping a bouncing ball away from the rope even while leaping over it himself.Two runs saved but that’s a better over for Australia.11th over: Australia 72-4 (Maxwell 19, Renshaw 24) Cremer carries on bowling and Maxwell goes searching for a boundary with a reverse sweep.The leg-spinner sneaks under the bat and very nearly takes the critical wicket.Five singles off the rest of the over as the pair of heavy-hitters continue to bide their time.

10th over: Australia 67-4 (Maxwell 17, Renshaw 21) Masakadza comes into the attack and keeps the clamps on Australia with only five runs conceded from the over.The required run-rate is out beyond 10 an over as the players take another quick break in the hot conditions.9th over: Australia 62-4 (Maxwell 14, Renshaw 19) Sikandar Raza is set to continue bowling but as he runs in to send down the first delivery of the over he instead falls to the turf with cramps.After a decent delay the Zimbabwe skipper finally leaves the field with leg-spinner Graeme Cremer taking the ball in his place.Renshaw continues picking up ones and twos before Maxwell eventually adds a much-needed boundary with a reverse sweep to the rope.

8th over: Australia 51-4 (Maxwell 9, Renshaw 13) Dion Myers joins the attack and Australia smell blood with his mostly unthreatening medium pace.Maxwell takes a sighter for a single to long-on before Renshaw punishes a shorter ball with a slicing cut shot and the first boundary for five overs.There are two more for Renshaw but once on strike Maxwell swings and misses at a pair of deliveries as Zimbabwe perhaps get away with conceding nine from the over.7th over: Australia 42-4 (Maxwell 8, Renshaw 6) Raza brings himself back into the attack with Australia on the ropes.Maxwell and Renshaw settle for four singles from the over.

They will have to be mindful of the required run rate, which is now pushing 10 runs an over.6th over: Australia 38-4 (Maxwell 6, Renshaw 4) Muzarabani continues with Maxwell and Renshaw looking to survive as much as consolidate the innings.Maxwell picks up two to third man and a quick single to square leg, which could be the order of the next handful of overs.Marcus Stoinis is padded up and ready to bat even after being forced from the field with a finger issue while bowling during Zimbabwe’s innings.5th over: Australia 34-4 (Maxwell 3, Renshaw 3) Matt Renshaw gets his chance to be a hero with Australia on the ropes and miracle man Maxwell at the other end.

The left-hander begins by clipping Evans for two then plays much the same shot for a single.All signs point to this being “one of those days” for Australia, as Travis Head chops on to his boot and the ball trickles in slow motion into the base of his stumps.There is just enough force to send the bails tumbling, and Zimbabwe have once again made a dream start.They now have eight wickets in their two powerplays bowled at the tournament.On the other side, this is just the second time Australia have lost four wickets in the powerplay at a T20 World Cup – the first time coming in a brave win over Sri Lanka in 2010.

4th over: Australia 28-3 (Head 17, Maxwell 1) Wickets keep tumbling around Travis Head and Zimbabwe have their tails up with hopes of causing a second T20 World Cup upset over Australia.It might be time for another Maxwell miracle, though the 37-year-old has been in dire touch with the bat.Oh my! Australia’s innings goes from bad to worse as Tim David mistimes a pull shot and picks out Cremer at short fine leg for a second-ball duck.Brad Evans takes the ball and once again demonstrates that he is a wicket-taker.Green leans back and is caught between driving and cutting as he nicks through to the keeper.

Australia have made a shaky start but they do at least have their big-hitting weapons in Head and David at the crease.3rd over: Australia 24-2 (Head 15, David 0)2nd over: Australia 19-1 (Head 10, Green 0) A quality set from Muzarabani has Zimbabwe dreaming.Josh Inglis is back in the pavilion and Marcus Stoinis is yet to be confirmed as a starter for this innings.Travis Head clips a shorter ball off his legs and past Sikandar Raza at midwicket for a nerve-settling boundary.An early breakthrough for Zimbabwe as Blessing Muzarabani sets up Josh Inglis for a pull shot off his pads.

The Australian opener times the stroke sweetly but Musekiwa is waiting at deep backward square to take a comfortable catch,1st over: Australia 13-0 (Inglis 8, Head 5) Australia get off to a flyer as Head and Inglis punish the slower pace off Sikandar Raza,Head gets the runs flowing with a boundary through cover, then Inglis sends a fuller ball sailing over the fence for SIX!Travis Head and Josh Inglis open for Australia just as they did in their T20 World Cup opener against Ireland,Sikandar Raza takes the responsibility to handle the new ball with he crafty seamers and off-cutters not giving Head in particular the pace that he likes,Here we go …Australia did well to contain Zimbabwe though they will be sweating on the fitness of Marcus Stoinis after the allrounder copped a heavy blow to the hand – and likely the index finger and thumb – while fielding off his own bowling.

There is no suggestion whether he will be able to bat as Australia chase a 170-run target in Colombo.