Australia knocked out of T20 World Cup 2026 following Zimbabwe-Ireland washout
Rain in Kandy has mercilessly washed away all the Kangaroos’ hopes of reaching the Super 8. Australia knocked out of T20 World Cup 2026 following Zimbabwe-Ireland washout. Cricket match at Pallekele Stadium never started: no ball was kicked off and both teams received one point.
Australia knocked out of T20 World Cup 2026 following Zimbabwe-Ireland washout: verdict in Kandy
Zimbabwe now has five points, and even a hypothetical victory over Oman on Friday would leave Mitch Marsh’s men with four points—not enough to catch the African team. The situation is paradoxical: two-time world champions (in 2021), Australia knocked out of T20 World Cup 2026 following Zimbabwe-Ireland washout.
The path to this disappointment was paved not only by the vagaries of the weather. A defeat to Sri Lanka on Monday in Kandy—the same place where Zimbabwe and Ireland later “drowned”—left the Australians in a precarious position. The lion’s share of the damage was caused by a fiasco against Zimbabwe, where the Africans, incidentally, did not participate in the last World Cup in 2024.
Their journey here began back in October of that year with the regional selection in Africa. They won ten matches in a row to qualify for the tournament, and added two more victories in Sri Lanka before facing Australia. The Kangaroos lost that game by 23 runs, which was the first warning sign.
The match against Sri Lanka finally exposed the problems. Led by Dushant Hemanta, who bowled three Australians in four overs, the team managed to score 181 runs, but were knocked out by Pathum Nissanka’s magnificent century. 100 runs in just 52 balls—and the tournament hosts secured a place in the Super Eights in just 18 overs.
Australia knocked out of T20 World Cup 2026 following Zimbabwe-Ireland washout: personnel crisis
The Australians’ only victory in this tournament was a 67-run rout of Ireland in Colombo. The Irish, by the way, are also leaving the tournament due to that same rain cancellation.
But it would be wrong to attribute everything to an unfortunate coincidence. Injuries plagued the team from the start. Captain Mitch Marsh missed the opening matches after suffering a painful testicle injury in training. Tim David, recovering from a hamstring injury in December, only returned for the game against Zimbabwe and looked unfit. The loss of Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, who were expected to be the core of the attack, proved fatal. Without them, the bowlers looked pale, allowing their opponents to score 353 runs in 38 overs across two matches, with Marcus Stoinis taking three of the four wickets.
The batsmen also lacked consistency. Most of them had been having trouble collecting runs for a long time. Against this backdrop, personnel decisions raised questions: for example, Steve Smith’s return to action but his omission from the starting lineup, while Matt Renshaw, who scored 65 runs against Zimbabwe, was ultimately left out of the squad.
The pre-tournament tour of Pakistan ended in crushing defeats by 22, 90 and 111 runs. Only Cameron Green and Xavier Bartlett managed to surpass 30 runs in three innings. The squad was weakened—some were delayed due to the Big Bash League, others were resting or undergoing treatment—but this only underscored how much the preparation for the main event had been crumpled.
Australia faces a period of restructuring. Look at the age of the team: by the next T20 World Cup in 2028, which they will co-host with New Zealand, only three current players—Green, Bartlett, and Connolly Cooper—will be under 30. Marsh, Hazlewood, Stoinis, Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, Sean Abbott and Ben Duarshuitz will all be over 36 by then. Cummins, Head, David and Nathan Ellis will be approaching 35.
Australia knocked out of T20 World Cup 2026 following Zimbabwe-Ireland washout, but the tournament, meanwhile, continues without them. Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe advance to the Super 8 from Group B, and their head-to-head match will determine who finishes top. England, India, South Africa, New Zealand and the West Indies have already secured their places in the next round. The remaining ticket is being contested between Pakistan and the USA. The Australians only have to finish the match against Oman, which no longer decides anything, and begin the long journey to regaining their former positions.
