Pallekele, Feb 17 (IANS) Former champions Australia have been knocked out of the tournament, as Zimbabwe secured their place in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s after their third group stage match against Ireland at the Pallekele International Stadium on Tuesday was abandoned without a toss.

Both the teams got one point each after the washout, which helped Zimbabwe reach five points in the points table, thus eliminating any chances of the 2021 champions, Australia, reaching the next round, as even if they win their last match, the Mitchell Marsh team can only get to four points, which will be lower than Sri Lanka, who already has six points, and Zimbabwe, with five points in Group B.

The washout brought bad news for Ireland, as they are also eliminated from the group stage. Ireland had a poor start to their campaign with two losses in their first two games, but they got back on track with a dominating 96-run win over Oman in the third match. They needed a big win against Zimbabwe to give themselves an outside chance to reach the Super 8 stage, but as the match was abandoned, the team finished their campaign with just three points.

Zimbabwe are placed in a tough group in the Super 8, as they will have to face defending champions India, 2024 runner-ups South Africa, and two-time champions West Indies and finish in the top two in the points table to reach the semi-final.

Before the Super 8s, Sikandar Raza’s team will face the co-hosts Sri Lanka in their last group stage match on Thursday.

The Zimbabwe cricket team missed the qualification for the last T20 World Cup held in 2024, but this time they qualified while remaining on top in the Africa qualifiers.

Sikandar Raza’s team first beat Oman by 8 wickets in their first match and then defeated the mighty Aussies in their second match by 23 runs as they secured their place in the Super 8 stage.

–IANS

sds/