Colombo: Cricketing powerhouse Australia were knocked out of the ICC T20 World Cup after the Group B match between Zimbabwe and Ireland was washed out in Pallekele on Tuesday.
Zimbabwe thus qualified for the Super 8 stage, finishing with 5 points. Australia, who were stunned by Zimbabwe by 23 runs earlier and also lost to Sri Lanka on Monday night, can at best reach 4 points if they beat Oman in their last group game.
Co-hosts Sri Lanka, who qualified for the S
uper 8s following their comprehensive win over Australia, topped the group with 6 points.
In the Super 8s, India will face the West Indies, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The other group will comprise England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan or USA.
Pakistan (4 points in 3 games) need to beat Namibia on Wednesday to seal the last Super 8 spot. A washout will suffice for Pakistan. But for USA (4 points in 4 games) to advance, Pakistan will have to lose to USA.
For 2021 T20 World Cup champions Australia, this was one of their most disappointing campaigns. For a team which has won the ODI World Cup a record six times and also the World Test Championship, this will be a bitter pill to swallow.
Even though they were without their top-line pacers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, not even the most pessimistic Australian fan expected the team to be beaten by Zimbabwe.