Defending Champions Australia Knocked Out of T20 World Cup in Group Stage

Pallekele. Reigning 2021 world champion Australia has been eliminated from the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2026. Australia's chances of advancing to the next stage ended after the match between Zimbabwe and Ireland on Tuesday was called off due to rain. 

The toss could not even take place in the match held at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy due to rain, and both teams shared the points. With the help of these points, Zimbabwe managed to reach the Super-8 stage.

Australia's own forgettable performance was responsible for its exit. The Kangaroo team was defeated by Sri Lanka by 8 wickets just on Monday, and before that, Zimbabwe stunned them by 23 runs on February 13. 

Australia still has a match left to play against Oman on February 20, but even if they win that match, the team led by Mitchell Marsh will not be able to reach the next stage.

This is the second time in World Cup history that Australia has been eliminated from the group stage. Previously, in 2009, the Australian team captained by Ricky Ponting returned home from the league stage.

The previous two losses and the equation involving rain have stopped Australia in the initial stages of the tournament.