Persistent rain forced the abandonment of the Group B match between Zimbabwe and Ireland at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium before a single ball
could be bowled, resulting in a shared point for each team.
This outcome propelled Zimbabwe into the Super 8s and eliminated Australia from the tournament.
Led by Sikandar Raza, Zimbabwe ended group play with five points, claiming the second qualifying spot behind already-advanced Sri Lanka. Australia, the 2021 champions, could muster no more than four points even with a victory in their last group fixture against Oman, making their exit inevitable. The defending champs had faltered with heavy losses to Zimbabwe by 23 runs and to Sri Lanka by eight wickets, sparked by a standout century.
This early knockout stands as a stunning blow for Australia, who secured just one win from their three completed group games. Struggles intensified with injuries to vital bowlers, drawing sharp criticism as one of their poorest T20 World Cup showings ever. Rain at Pallekele thus closed a dramatic and debated Group B saga, with Zimbabwe joyfully securing their Super 8 place.
Australia crash out of T20 World Cup 2026
Australia have now crashed out of the T20 World Cup 2026. The Aussies lost two matches in the group stages against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka and are now eliminated.
When did Australia eliminate from 1st Stage of a T20 World Cup before?
In their rich history of ICC tournaments, Australia's early exit remains a huge shock. Australia's elimination from the group stage of the 2026 T20 World Cup is a rare and humiliating setback for the cricketing powerhouse. Historically dominant in limited-overs formats, Australia have only failed to advance from the initial phase once before-until now.
2009 (England): The only prior instance. Under Ricky Ponting, Australia lost both group games to Sri Lanka and West Indies, finishing bottom of their group with zero wins and no points. They were eliminated without reaching the Super 8s in a tournament eventually won by Pakistan.
