Zimbabwe have defeated Australia in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 despite the odds. This WC version has been phenomenal with associate & weaker teams able to put up a good fight & shaking some of the other sides!
There have been many close games, but Zimbabwe finally took an upset to the T20 World Cup 2026. This is not the first time they have defeated Australia in the tournament either.
This was the second time that these teams met in the tournament, with New Zealand having won previously during the 2007 edition. On a star-studded Australian line-up that included Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Andrew Symonds and Brett Lee among others, they pulled off a win for the ages. Pursuing 139, they sneaked home off the last ball with five wickets left.
On that note, here’s a look at the top five biggest upsets in the T20 World Cup history.
5. USA vs Pakistan 2024
The biggest upsets in T20 World Cup history Upsets come handy They were the team that pulled off one of the most famous as well as recent upset in the T20 world cup when they trumped Pakistan in 2024, it was USA. It was a Group A game, in Dallas. Opting to bowl, they did a commendable job of restricting Pakistan to 159/7 with Nosthush Kenjige being the pick of their bowlers with three wickets.
A half-century from Monank Patel, and cameos from Andries Gous (35) and Aaron Jones (36*) drew level with the score as they finished on 159/3, forcing the game into a Super Over. USA then managed to score 18 off Mohammad Amir in the Super Over and thanks to a stunning over from Saurabh Netravalkar where he gave away just 13 runs, guided his side to a famous five-run win.
4. Ireland vs England 2022
Ireland registered a stunning win against the UK rivals England in the T20 World Cup 2022 at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Opting to bat first, Ireland put up a fighting 157 on the board built around skipper Andrew Balbirnie’s 62 off 47 balls.
Ireland deserve credit for making a game of it, after they had reduced England to 105-5 in 14.3 overs. Joshua Little picked up two wickets. The rain had the final say as it forced an early end to the match in the 15th over. There was no restart, with England at that point five runs adrift according to the DLS system. Ireland, consequently, went onto win the game by five runs in the last test of fire.
3. Netherlands vs England 2009
England feature among those on the losing end of another shock, this one even further back in time to the 2009 T20 World Cup Words: Nayel Settings Full Site Translate: umpire’s call; wicked def. It was a Group B match against the Netherlands at the historic Lord’s stadium.
Batting first, England reached 162/5 during their innings, which would have been a thoroughly substantial total in the old days against a team like the Netherlands. But the Dutch had other ideas. They beat England by a surprise margin, in the end reaching 163/6 off the last ball of their innings. It was a game that will be remembered for the tension of the last ball, when they required two runs to win and could squeeze in only with an overthrow off panicked fielding; it was also the winning run.
2. Afghanistan vs West Indies in 2016
Afghanistan’s win over the West Indies in the 2016 edition is perhaps one of the biggest upsets in T20 World Cup history. Curiously, the West Indies were also the winners of that tournament.
Afghanistan shocked the eventual champions in a Super 10 game in Nagpur. The Afghanistan team were also not as well known then as they are now. Batting first, they had to fight their way to 123/7. It looked like being a stroll for the West Indies, at their height in the format: but no.
Chasing a paltry 138, England collapsed to 117/8 as Afghanistan scripted a stunning six-run win while defending a modest total. Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan were their best bowlers with two wickets each.
1. Australia vs Zimbabwe 2026
Zimbabwe maintained their T20 World Cuo unbeaten record versus Australia,inflicting them with their 2nd defeat in as many meetings when they met in the current 2026 edition.
They did well to reach 169/2 after batting first on a sluggish Colombo surface. Brian Bennett hit an undefeated 64 from 56 balls. He was well assisted by Tadiwanashe Marumani (35) and Ryan Burl (35), with Sikandar Raza (25* off 13) finishing the innings nicely.
They immediately ran riot with the ball though, and Australia were left shellshocked at 29/4 in the chase. Australia somehow dragged the match to the last over but fell well short, ending up all out for 146. Blessing Muzarabani took four wickets and Brad Evans three as Zimbabwe prevailed by 23 runs.
