Cameron Green’s solitary wicket and economical bowling figures of 1 for 6 proved insufficient as Australia crashed to a humiliating 23-run T20 World Cup defeat against Zimbabwe in Colombo. Green’s performance highlighted the individual efforts that were overshadowed by collective team failure.
Green’s moment of success came immediately after Marcus Stoinis left the field injured. With his first delivery following Stoinis’s departure, Green dismissed Ryan Burl for 35 runs, providing Australia with a crucial breakthrough. The wicket prevented Zimbabwe from accelerating even further and gave Australia momentary hope of restricting the opposition to a more manageable total. Green’s economical figures represented Australia’s best bowling performance of the match.
However, Green’s bowling success couldn’t compensate for his batting failure. Walking to the crease with Australia already struggling at 17 for 1, Green departed first ball, caught behind off Blessing Muzarabani’s bowling for a golden duck. His dismissal was followed immediately by Tim David’s identical fate, with both batsmen departing without troubling the scorers. The consecutive golden ducks left Australia reeling at 25 for 3 and effectively ended any hopes of a successful chase.
The contrast between Green’s contributions with bat and ball encapsulated Australia’s disjointed performance. While he executed well with the ball, maintaining pressure and taking a wicket at minimal cost, his batting failure contributed directly to the powerplay collapse that doomed Australia’s chase. The all-rounder’s inability to contribute runs when his team desperately needed them highlighted the lack of application and technique under pressure.
Brian Bennett’s unbeaten 64 had given Zimbabwe a competitive 169-2, which proved more than sufficient. Despite Matthew Renshaw’s fighting 65 and Glenn Maxwell’s 31, Australia collapsed to 29 for 4 in the powerplay and was eventually bowled out for 146. The defeat represents Australia’s first T20 World Cup loss to Zimbabwe since 2007 and leaves them facing potential elimination unless they defeat Sri Lanka and favorable results elsewhere work in their favor.