Zimbabwe or Australia? Who qualified for Super 8 of T20 World Cup 2026 after IRE vs ZIM clash was abandoned?

The IRE vs ZIM clash was scheduled to be played on February 17 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Zimbabwe have observed a marvellous stint in the T20 World Cup 2026 so far. They commenced the tournament with an easy victory against Oman by eight wickets, chasing down a 104-run target.

In their second game in Colombo, they outplayed mighty Australia by 23 runs to produce the biggest upset of this edition. This shocking defeat shattered Australia’s hopes of making it to the Super 8 round.

Following this, Australia’s previous defeat against Sri Lanka left them in a poor position in Group B, dropping them to fourth place with two points. Sri Lanka became the first team to qualify from the pool for the next round.

Following Australia‘s defeat against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe had to win any of their remaining two encounters to qualify for the Super 8. Hence, the IRE vs ZIM game on February 17 (Tuesday) became a much-awaited game for global cricket fans.

The Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele was the venue. However, the afternoon game was affected by rain and eventually abandoned without even the toss. As a result, fans are confused whether Zimbabwe or Australia have made it to the next round in the T20 World Cup.

Zimbabwe qualified for the Super 8 of the T20 World Cup 2026

Notably, Zimbabwe have secured their place in the Super 8 without even taking the field against Ireland. While rain is often blamed for ruining games, Zimbabwe fans and players must be thanking the bad weather this time.

With the cancelled IRE vs ZIM clash, Sikandar Raza & Co. now grab the second spot in the Group B points table with five points.

Out of three games, they have won two matches and one match was abandoned due to rain. They follow Sri Lanka in the second spot, who have six points with three consecutive victories. Both teams have one more game left in the league stage.

Talking about Australia, they are placed fourth with two points, having won one and lost two of their three matches. They have one more game left against Oman, but it will be a dead-rubber game.

Mitchell Marsh & Co. have been eliminated from the tournament, which can be dubbed as the biggest shock of this edition.

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