COLOMBO: Zimbabwe produced the first upset of the T20 World Cup, with a 23-run shock win over an injury-plagued Australia in their Group B clash, here on Friday.
Sent into bat, Zimbabwe scored a challenging 169 for two.
Openers Brian Bennett (64 not out off 56 balls) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (35 off 21) gave a strong start to Zimbabwe, stitching 61 runs in 7.3 overs.
Ryan Burl (35 off 30 balls) and skipper Sikandar Raza (25 not out off 13 balls) also made useful contributions.
Cameroon Green (1/6) and Marcus Stoinis (1/17) were the wicket-takers for Australia.
In reply, Australia's top-order failed to fire before Matt Renshaw (65 off 44) and Glenn Maxwell (31 off 32) scored the bulk of the runs but fell short as they folded for 146 in 19.3 overs.
For Zimbabwe, right-arm fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani (4/15) registered career-best figures and was ably-supported by Brad Evans (3/23).
Brief Scores:
Zimbabwe: 169 for 2 in 20 overs (Brian Bennett 64 not out, Tadiwanashe Marumani 35, Ryan Burl 35; Cameroon Greem 1/6).
Australia: 146 all out in 19.3 overs (Matt Renshaw 65, Glenn Maxwell 31; Blessing Muzarabani 4/17, Brad Evans 3/23).