Just as INDIA would ever remember 25th June 1983 when Kapil Devils conquered the World and won the Prudential World Cup, there is another Nation which would look back with satisfaction !!
On 9th June 1983, in their very first one-day international, Zimbabwe announced their arrival with one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history, beating Australia by 13 runs at Trent Bridge. Brief scorecard read : Zimbabwe 239 for 6 (Fletcher 69*, Butchart 34*) beat Australia 226 for 7 (Wessels 76, Marsh 50*; Fletcher 4-42) by 13 runs.. Zimbabweans had played with ease the renowned Australian pace attack of Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, Geoff Lawson and Rod Hogg.
In the early hours
of a Tuesday morning in 1983, Australia's prime minister Bob Hawke famously
told the country that "any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today
is a bum". Australia had just won
the America's Cup. It was one of the nation's most defining moments of the
1980s, the end of New York Yacht Club's 132-year hold on the trophy ~ and then
the mighty Australians lost to minnows in 1983 World Cup.
Have not heard or seen him much ! but the catch Munyonga took today, would make him remembered by thousands who saw the match and the highlights !! Tony Tanaka Munyonga, born in 1999 bats right handed and bowls off-breaks with right arm. Today he did not bat, did not bowl ! but still would be talked about !!
It's all happening here today at Srilanka. Kuhnemann missed his flick and the ball ballooned up to Brad Evans, who collected the ball and then under-armed a throw at the striker's end with the batter out of his crease. ZImbabwe have beaten Australia! They didn't make the World Cup in 2024, and now, back in the big leagues, they have not just made it two wins in two, but they have registered a win over Australia! What a day for this Zimbabwe team! What a day for Sikandar Raza and Brian Bennett and Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans! For Graeme Cremer, making a comeback after ages.
17.4 Length ball outside off by Brad Evans, Dwarshuis tried to pull, hitting it straight to deep midwicket. Munyonga running and covering many yards jumped, dived and plucked the ball from the air.
9th Match, Group B, Colombo (RPS), February 13, 2026, ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Match no. T20I no. 3704 – Aussies have been beaten by Zimbabwe. Put into bat, Zimbabwe batted calmly – the opening partnership was 61; 70 for the 2nd wicket and unbroken 38 then. Brain Bennett carried bat through with 64; WK Tadiwanashe Marumani made 35; Ryan Buri 35 and Sikandar Raza remained unbeaten on 25. Blessing Muzarabani continued his stellar form with the ball with 4 for 17 and was rightly handed the player of the match award as Brad Evans (3 for 23) also picked up crucial wickets to ensure that Australia’s top order crumbled. Matt Renshaw (65 from 44) played a lone hand. When Glenn Maxwell (31) departed with 64 runs still to get the comeback looked unlikely
When Muzarabani
bowled full and knocked the leg stump of Adam Zampa, it was his fourth, and his 100th T20I wicket!. Afghanistan's Rashid Khan is the fastest to
100 T20I wickets, achieving the milestone in only 53 matches. Other top, rapid
achievers include Sandeep Lamichhane (54 matches), Wanindu Hasaranga (63 matches),
and India's Arshdeep Singh (64 matches), who is the fastest pacer to reach the
landmark.
After that very famous win over Australia in 1983 it took 11,406 days for Zimbabwe to beat Australia in an ODI again. In between in Newlands T20WC in 2007 they did beat Australia. In that ODI in 1983 debuted alongside 10 others was the Off spinner - John Traicos – he was 37 then and had made his Test debut - for South Africa - in 1969-70 in their final series before they were cast into sporting isolation. When he played his final match in India in March 1993, he was 45. Egyptian born, he grew up in South Africa, touring England in 1967 with the South African Universities, and thereafter played for Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. When Zimbabwe were finally admitted to the fold in 1992, Traicos, despite his age, was still far and away the best offspinner in the country – played – took 5 for 86 including Sachin Tendulkar out for a duck. His international career ended when business commitments meant he was not available to tour Pakistan in 1993-94. Traicos fled Zimbabwe with his family in 1997 for political reasons and is became company secretary in Australia.
Interesting ! – now
Australia faces the possibility of exiting out of the T20 WC without going to
the next stage.
Regards – S Sampathkumar
13.2.2026
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