Australia will make an embarrassing group-stage exit from the Men’s T20 World Cup after Zimbabwe’s match against Ireland was rained off.
Defeats to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka left Australia on two points from their first three matches and needing multiple results to work in their favour for them to have any chance of reaching the Super 8s.
Australia required Zimbabwe to lose to Ireland on Tuesday, but the match was abandoned without any play to see Zimbabwe earn the point required for them to secure a top-two finish in Group B.
Zimbabwe move to five points from three matches, one behind group leaders Sri Lanka, with Australia – who can only earn a maximum of four points – now guaranteed an early exit regardless of the result against Oman on Friday.
Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe were confirmed as the two progressing from Group B
The no-result means Ireland will also be eliminated, ending with three points from their four matches, with Oman also failing to progress from the group.
Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka will now fight it out for top spot in the group when they meet in Colombo on Thursday, live from 9.30am on Sky Sports Cricket.
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Pathum Nissanka’s spectacular hundred off just 52 balls saw Sri Lanka beat Australia by eight wickets at the T20 World Cup
How Australia crashed out of the T20 World Cup
After a comprehensive 67-run win over Ireland in their opening match, two successive losses to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka took the Baggy Greens’ tournament out of their control.
Injury and selection issues have surrounded Australia’s campaign, with captain Mitch Marsh only featuring once, and the decision not to replace him with Steve Smith coming under fire from legendary batter Mark Waugh.
“I think that the whole campaign was doomed from the get-go with selection issues and injuries,” Waugh said on SEN radio in Australia.
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Zimbabwe’s Tony Munyonga takes a stunning catch in the field to dismiss Ben Dwarshuis in his team’s win over Australia in the ICC T20 World Cup
“To me, the non-selection of Steve Smith in the squad originally is the most baffling non-selection I can remember for ages.”
Australia’s bowling has suffered from similar injury and selection issues to their batting. The Baggy Greens have taken four wickets in their last two games – a staggering figure for a side that usually boasts one of the best bowling attacks in world cricket.
Mitchell Starc’s retirement from T20 cricket, alongside injuries to Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, meant the Baggy Greens had to face their first international tournament without a single one of their world champion fast-bowling trio in a decade.
Their absence was doubtless felt most when Pathum Nissanka stormed to his 100 off 52 balls for Sri Lanka to put the nail in Australia’s coffin.
Zimbabwe, on the other hand, advance to the Super 8s stage with a flawless start, matching their best ever World Cup performance in 2022.
Raza: Everyone loves an underdog story
Zimbabwe captain Sikanadar Raza speaking on Sky Sports:
“I’ll take you back to when we we played our sub-regional qualifiers. We played Kenya, Rwanda and all those teams. I stood up to my troops and said ‘we are in this position because of us – there’s no one else to blame only us can get us out of it.
“We’ll celebrate, but only a very short time – we have a travel day and then a game against Sri Lanka. This was not the only goal we set out for.
“This is a tick in the box, but we have a lot more to achieve. Everyone loves an underdog story. We are trying our best to earn more respect for Zimbabwe.”
Tucker: We’re familiar with rain as Irish people!
Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker speaking on Sky Sports:
“Something we’re quite familiar with as Irish people. Didn’t want it to end in this fashion, but it wasn’t to be today. It felt like we were building some momentum after the Oman game, but it came too late. That’s the way the tournament fell for us.
Our group gained great experience from this tournament. We’re hoping to have some good moments in the next couple of years.”
Watch every game from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports Cricket, including the competition final on Sunday March 8. Get Sky Sports or stream contract-free with NOW.