Australia’s out of the T20 World Cup! Zimbabwe moved on to the Super Eights because their game against Ireland got rained out in Kandy, no play at all.
So, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka are through from Group B. They’re heading to the next round to play the West Indies, India, and South Africa. Ireland’s out too.
It rained all day at the Pallekelle stadium, so the umpires called the game at 5:30 pm local time (1200 GMT). There was no way they could’ve gotten in the minimum five overs before the 6:10 pm cut-off.
Australia, who lost to Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, needed Ireland to win to stay in the competition.
Now, Zimbabwe has five points and can’t be caught. Ireland’s got three points.
Australia only has two points. They still have a game against Oman on Friday, but it won’t be enough to pass Zimbabwe.
Australia had a messy lead-up to the tournament.
Their top fast bowlers, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, got injured. Skipper Mitchell Marsh missed the first two games because he got hit in the groin during practice and had some bleeding.
Test legend Steve Smith was left out, even though he was doing great in the Big Bash League and is good against spin.
He flew in as a backup last week and joined the squad over the weekend.
But then he was benched for the must-win game against Sri Lanka on Monday. Australia’s middle order collapsed, and they lost by eight wickets.
Zimbabwe’s captain, Skiander Raza, said it was great his team made it to the last eight, but said the next games would be tough.
We made it this far, so we will celebrate, but We have another game with Sri Lanka, Raza said.
This a little win. We want more than this. Everyone loves it when the underdog wins.
Ireland’s captain, Lorcan Tucker, was bummed they didn’t get to play.
It’s a real shame to go out like this, but we can’t control the weather, Tucker said.
Our batting was not good, we missed many catches against Sri Lanka.
I hope we learn to handle these tough moments better in the future.
The rain didn’t stop about two dozen Zimbabwe fans from dancing and singing all afternoon to celebrate their team’s Super Eight spot.
Those fans are loud no matter where they are. They bring the songs, Raza said.
They keep the vibe going even when we are tired– and in this weather, it can be hard.
But when we hear it they push us and give energy.