New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) Australia and Zimbabwe will look to continue their winning momentum when they face each other in their second match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 to be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday.
Australia are coming into the contest after registering a dominating 67-run victory over Ireland in their opening match played at the same venue.
Despite missing their top fast bowlers, Australia managed to keep Ireland in check, with Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa taking four wickets each. The balanced bowling unit and smart batting adjustments helped them post a competitive total of 182 runs on a pitch that favoured slower bowlers, and helped them start their campaign on a good note.
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh is likely to miss this match as well, as he is recovering from injury. Travis Head will captain the side in his absence.
On the other hand, Zimbabwe are also coming into the contest after a confident eight-wicket win over Oman in their campaign opener. Zimbabwe’s opening match was all about pace, with Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, and Brad Evans each taking three wickets to bowl out Oman for just 103 runs and then chasing the small target easily in just 13.3 overs with the help of magnificent innings from Brian Bennett and Brendan Taylor.
Australia and Zimbabwe have played three T20I matches so far, in which the 2021 World Cup champions have won two, while Sikandar Raza’s team has been able to win only one match.
When: Friday, February 13, 11:00 AM IST
Where: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming
Squads:
Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers, Brendan Taylor (w), Sikandar Raza (c), Ryan Burl, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Tony Munyonga, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Graeme Cremer
Australia: Travis Head (c), Josh Inglis (w), Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa, Ben Dwarshuis, Tim David, Mitchell Marsh
21st Match: Netherlands vs United States of America, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, 7:00 PM IST
The United States of America will look to end their quest for a win in the 2026 T20 World Cup when they face the Netherlands in their third group stage match to be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday.
After running India close in their opening game in Mumbai, the USA were outplayed by Pakistan in Colombo in their second match. A third successive defeat against the Netherlands on Friday will knock them out of contention for the Super Eight stage. So it will be a do-or-die match for Monank Patel’s team.
On the other hand, the Netherlands are coming into the contest on the back of a dominant seven-wicket win against Namibia. All-rounder Bas de Leede was the main player behind that win. He took two crucial wickets, which helped the team restrict Namibia to just 156 runs, and then played a 72-run knock, which helped the team chase the target comfortably to register a win after a near loss in the opener against Pakistan.
The Netherlands are also familiar with Chennai conditions. Their entire squad trained at the Chennai Super Kings Academy in the city for around a week last month, and they boast a strong record against the USA, having won all three T20I matches played between the two sides.
When: Friday, February 13, 7:00 PM IST
Where: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming
Squads:
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (w/c), Zach Lion-Cachet, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Roelof van der Merwe, Timm van der Gugten, Fred Klaassen, Noah Croes, Kyle Klein, Saqib Zulfiqar, Paul van Meekeren
USA: Andries Gous (w), Shayan Jahangir, Monank Patel (c), Milind Kumar, Shubham Ranjane, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ehsan Adil, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Nosthush Kenjige, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Shehan Jayasuriya
–IANS
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