'A Statement Win': Sachin Tendulkar Lauds Sikandar Raza-led Zimbabwe For Win Against Australia In T20 World Cup 2026

Zimbabwe staged the first upset for Australia in the 2026 edition of the T20 World Cup, beating them by 23 runs at Colombo on February 13, 2026. After posting 162-2 in the 1st ininnings, Zimbabwe bowlers restricted the Australian batters to 146 by the end of 19.3 overs. Zimbabwe scripted history, beating Australia for the first time since the T20 World Cup in 2007.

After winning the toss, Australia invited Zimbabwe to bat first; however, that decision backfired for them as Brian Bennett (64* off 56 balls) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (35 off 21 balls) gave their side a strong start. Following Marumani's dismissal by Marcus Stonis, Ryan Burl joined Bennett at the crease and smashed 35 runs off 30 balls. After Burl's dismissal in the 16th over, skipper Sikandar Raza and Brian Bennett helped their side propel a total of 169 runs, which Australia eventually failed to chase.

After the match, cricket great Sachin Tendulkar took to X to extend his congratulations to the team and shared that it was a statement win for Zimbabwe.

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Sachin Tendulkar Praises Zimbabwe For Statement Win Against Australia In T20 World Cup

The Zimbabwe side showed resilience against Australia, and the win proved their ability to hold their ground against the big-name teams on the world stage.

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar wrote on X, "A statement win from Zimbabwe! Beating Australia by 23 runs takes real character. And of course, Blessing turned out to be just that, a blessing in the truest sense, with a superb 4 wicket spell. What an exciting tournament this is shaping up to be!"

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Blessing Muzarabani Picked Up Four Wickets

Matt Renshaw was the only standout performer for Australia, with the player scoring 65 runs off 44 balls; however, his efforts were not enough to help his side through the line. In the 19th over, Muzarabani dismissed Renshaw, the former's fourth wicket, ending Australia's hopes of making a comeback.