Australia dropped to third in the T20 World Cup 2026 Group B table after a defeat to Zimbabwe. Here’s what the result has done to their chances of making the Super Eights stage.
Zimbabwe maintained their 100 per cent record over Australia in T20 World Cups, beating them by 23 runs in Colombo to make it two wins in two in the ongoing edition. The 2021 champions now need to win their remaining two games to stay in control of their fate.
How the Group B table looks after two rounds
| Rank | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Points | NRR |
| 1 | Sri Lanka | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +3.125 |
| 2 | Zimbabwe | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +1.984 |
| 3 | Australia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +1.100 |
| 4 | Ireland | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2.175 |
| 5 | Oman | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4.306 |
What are the remaining Group B games at the T20 World Cup 2026?
- Ireland vs Oman, February 14
- Australia vs Sri Lanka, February 16
- Ireland vs Zimbabwe, February 17
- Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe, February 19
- Australia vs Oman, February 20
Will Australia be knocked out if they lose to Sri Lanka?
If Australia lose to Sri Lanka in their next match, they will remain on two points after three games. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will have registered their third win and reached six points, which would be out of reach for Australia.
Also read: T20 World Cup 2026, where to watch live: TV channels, live score and streaming
They will then have to hope that Zimbabwe lose their remaining two games as well, staying on four points while also denting their NRR. Australia will then go into the Oman game knowing exactly what to do to get to four points and improve their NRR to finish second in Group B and qualify for the Super Eights.
However, if Zimbabwe beat Ireland, they too will have amassed six points, and Australia would be knocked out even before the last round of games are played. Thus, Australia’s only hope if they lose to Sri Lanka is that Zimbabwe go down in both of their remaining games and the African side’s NRR is low enough for them to surpass against Oman.
There is also the chance that Ireland win both their remaining games, beating Oman and Zimbabwe, and get to four points. In that case, too, Australia will have to hope that Ireland’s NRR remains within their reach.
Assuming Sri Lanka beat Australia by 10 runs, and Zimbabwe lose both their remaining games by the same margin, Australia will then have to beat Oman by at least 21 runs to overtake Zimbabwe on the NRR column. Ireland, meanwhile, are quite far behind in the NRR race and will need two extravagant wins to realistically join the race for Super Eights.
Australia will be knocked out if they lose both their remaining games.
If Australia win their remaining two games
Australia will first need to defeat Sri Lanka on February 16. A win in that game will put them level on points (four each) with both Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, who are yet to play each other in the tournament. If Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe, and Zimbabwe beat Ireland, those two sides will get to six points.
Once they beat Sri Lanka, Australia will also need to beat Oman to get to six points. That is the last group game scheduled in Group B, so they will know the exact scenario needed to keep their net run-rate high enough to qualify for the Super Eights. Essentially: beat Sri Lanka, and their fate will remain in their hands.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
