T20 World Cup 2026: Zimbabwe aims to knock out Australia and reach Super 8

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Australia's consecutive defeats in the 2026 T20 World Cup have taken a very exciting turn for the tournament. This situation has made today a very exciting day in the World Cup, where three matches are to be played, and all eyes will be on the match between Ireland and Zimbabwe. Considered one of the strongest teams in the world, Australia suffered an unexpected defeat in their group stage campaign, first against Zimbabwe, and then suffered a defeat against Sri Lanka on the night of February 16th. Now the equation is that if Zimbabwe defeats Ireland in today's match, Australia will be eliminated from the tournament in the group stage itself, while Zimbabwe will enter the Super Stage.

Let's first discuss the day's opening match. The first match of the day, in Group D, will be played at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This match will begin at 11:00 AM IST, pitting New Zealand against Canada. New Zealand began their campaign with victories against Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, but lost their third match to South Africa by 7 wickets. Canada, on the other hand, has lost both of their matches so far, first to South Africa and then to the United Arab Emirates. New Zealand will seek to secure a place in the next round along with South Africa by winning this match, leaving Canada's campaign to end in the group stage.

Today's most exciting match will be played between Ireland and Zimbabwe. The match will begin at 3:00 PM IST at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka. Australia will be rooting for Ireland's victory, while Zimbabwe will be hoping for another win to send Australia packing.

Zimbabwe has had a strong campaign so far, defeating Oman by 8 wickets in their first match and Australia by 23 runs in their second. Ireland, meanwhile, has won just one of their three matches, a 96-run win over Oman. They previously suffered defeats against Sri Lanka and Australia.

The third and final match of the day will be played between Scotland and Nepal in Group C at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The match will begin at 7 p.m. Scotland have won only one of their three matches, a 73-run victory against Italy, while their other matches were lost to the West Indies and England.

Nepal also started well, but lost their momentum after a narrow loss to England. They then suffered defeats by 10 wickets against Italy and 9 wickets against the West Indies. However, since the West Indies and England have already qualified for the next stage from this group, Scotland and Nepal will not be able to advance further in the tournament. Nevertheless, this match will be seen as a battle for prestige. Today's three matches could not only change the group equation but also decide the fate of several major teams.