From the opening day of this T20 World Cup, an upset has been looming. And at the end of the first week on Friday, Zimbabwe handed Australia a rude awakening in Colombo. After Zimbabwe’s batting unit came up with a fool-proof game plan on a slow Premadasa track to set Australia a 170-run target, their attack humbled Australia. For injury-hit Australia the 23-run loss will sting as they still have to face a spin-heavy Sri Lanka up next. With former West Indian pace great Courtney Walsh their consultant, Zimbabwe struck early blows via their fast bowlers as Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans ran-through Australia’s top-order to leave them stuttering at 29/4. A target of 170 from there on was an uphill battle for the Australian on the slow wicket despite some power-hitters still to bat. With Marcus Stoinis picking up an injury to his hand while bowling, all their hopes centred around Glenn Maxwell. But once he departed for 32 off 31, it fell on Matt Renshaw to take the team home. The left-right combination played the waiting game during their 77-run partnership for the fifth wicket but Maxwell perished going for a big shot against leg spinner Ryan Burl only to play the ball onto his stumps. Renshaw was composed at the crease during his 44-ball 65 but with 31 runs needed from nine his attempt to clear the field ended in Burl’s hands in the mid-off region off the bowling of Muzarabani. QUICK COMMENT | Not just ‘one bad day’, Australia haven’t really warmed up to T20 cricket Muzarabani, the tall fast bowler, is known to crack good pace and has been earmarked as the one who would overtake Heath Streak’s records. (AP Photo) The star casts of Zimbabwe couldn’t have been more varied. Muzarabani, the tall fast bowler, is known to crack good pace and has been earmarked as the one who would overtake Heath Streak’s records. Nearly six foot and five inches tall, he had moved to the United Kingdom, turning up for Nottinghamshire in the County circuit before Brexit brought him back to the Zimbabwe fold. He forms one half of the “twin towers” with Richard Ngarava, who missed the game with a niggle, being the other. Then there is Evans, the experienced seamer who is their death-over specialist. It is the presence of this trio that has made Zimbabwe – playing their first T20 World Cup after missing out on the 2022 edition – have ambitions of going through to the Super 8s. Fully aware that Australia will come out looking to make full use of the powerplay, Muzarabani and Evans showed the discipline that was needed. The pace and bounce of Muzarabani was too hot to handle for Josh Inglis and Tim David, who were both bounced out. If Inglis got a sharply directed one to this throat that he couldn’t keep it down and picked the fielder at fine-leg, David’s rustiness was there to see as all that he could do was to top-edge another razor-sharp bouncer to the fielder at short fine-leg. Sandwiched between those two wickets was Evans. Getting to take the new ball, he had Cameron Green nick one to the wicketkeeper before Travis Head inside-edged one to the stumps that proved to be the biggest of all blows. Steady batting Before the seamers took charge, Zimbabwe’s top-order came with an equally impressive performance that showed how well they read the conditions. On a pitch where they had to maximise the powerplay, Tadiwanashe Marumani provided the impetus after a sedate start. Between the third and sixth over, Zimbabwe tallied 39 runs which meant they had 47 in the first six. It wasn’t a huge score, but in these conditions those runs were precious. And once Marumani fell, Zimbabwe did well to reassess the condition and play to their strengths. Not the gifted team in terms of power-hitters, in the absence of experienced Brendan Taylor – who was ruled out of the tournament before toss – opener Brian Bennett held the innings together. Another player who has come through their age-group ranks, which Zimbabwe has put plenty of focus on in recent years to find their feat back in international cricket, he anchored the innings, scoring unbeaten 64 off 56 which included 7 boundaries. Like Bennett, Ryan Burl hardly tried to break the shackles, despite Australia’s spinners giving plenty of invitation. In the middle-overs, which was going to decide the course, Zimbabwe scored 82 for the loss of just two wickets as Sikander Raza provided the finishing touches that carried them to 169/2.
How Zimbabwe out-bowled and out-batted Australia on a slow wicket at the Premadasa Stadium
