Australia entered the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 as one of the top favorite teams. But the injury has certainly impacted their combination. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were ruled out earlier, and now captain Mitchell Marsh has also been out of action after suffering a groin injury ahead of their tournament’s opener against Ireland. That brought Steve Smith into the picture, who has replaced Marsh in the squad.
Travis Head led the team and will lead Australia for the rest of the situation in the absence of Marsh. But Australia were all over Ireland and hammered them by 67 runs, courtesy of four-wicket hauls by Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa. Australia will now face Zimbabwe in Group B. This match will be live from R. Premadasa Stadium on February 13 (Friday) at 11 AM IST. Zimbabwe had a positive start to their campaign as they beat Oman by 8 wickets. They will take that confidence, as this is a crucial game for their qualification.
AUS vs ZIM: Match Info.
- · Series: ICC T20 World Cup 2026
- · Match: Australia vs Zimbabwe, Match 19
- · Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
- · Time: 11:00 AM IST
- · Date: February 13, 2026 (Friday)
AUS vs ZIM: Head-to-Head: AUS (2) – ZIM (1)
These two sides have faced each other thrice in T20Is. Australia have managed two wins, while Zimbabwe have one win under their belts.
AUS vs ZIM: Pitch Report
Australia played their first game at R. Premadasa Stadium and the wicket were slow, and spinners were getting the best out of it. The bounce is spongy, and executing big shots will be a little difficult. There is also a chance of rain, so bowling first can be a good edge.
AUS vs ZIM: Live Streaming Details
- · TV: Star Sports Network
- · Digital: Jio Hotstar (App or Website)
AUS vs ZIM: Weather Report
The weather forecast for Friday in Colombo will be overcast with chances of light rain. The temperature will reach a maximum of 29°C, with a moderate wind speed of 13 km/h, with 64 percent humidity.
AUS vs ZIM: Last Five Results
Zimbabwe: L, W, L, L, W
Australia: NR, L, L, L, W
Australia vs Zimbabwe: Predicted XIs:
Australia: T. Head (c), J. Inglis (wk), M. Renshaw, C. Green, C. Connolly, G. Maxwell, M. Stoinis, X. Bartlett, N. Ellis, M. Kuhnemann, A. Zampa
Zimbabwe: T. Marumani, B. Bennett, D. Myers, B. Taylor (wk), S. Raza (c), R. Burl, B. Evans, T. Musekiwa, W. Masakadza, R. Ngarava, B. Muzarabani
AUS vs ZIM: Players to Watch out for
Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza has played against Australia a lot and knows what he will be up against. Not just with the bat, but with the ball as well, he will have a big role in this game.
Australia: Josh Inglis has been a very smart batter. In his short T20I career, he has multiple centuries, and his batting style puts the opposition under pressure. He likes pace and will like batting against Zimbabwe.
Australia vs Zimbabwe Today’s Match Prediction: Australia are without their 3-4 key players because of an injury. But despite that, they have players who are contributing well. One can argue that they have an inexperienced pace attack. But these players play a lot of T20s and know their limitations. Nathan Ellis showed it in the previous game.
For Zimbabwe, it is very important for their key batters to perform. Bennett and Raza will be key for them. But if they fail, Zimbabwe will be under pressure. Zimbabwe have a good pace attack, but these Australian batters like pace on the ball. That is why Australia will be favorites for this game against Zimbabwe.
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