Wellington Masakadza found himself on the receiving end of Matthew Renshaw’s aggressive batting, conceding back-to-back boundaries in the 14th over during Australia’s failed chase in their T20 World Cup clash against Zimbabwe. Despite Renshaw’s assault, Zimbabwe held firm to secure a stunning 23-run victory.
Masakadza’s 14th over represented a crucial moment in Australia’s chase. Renshaw, who had been building his innings methodically, identified Masakadza as the bowler to target. The left-handed batsman unleashed consecutive boundaries that swung momentum temporarily toward Australia. The over suggested that Australia’s recovery might succeed, with Renshaw finding his rhythm and the required run rate becoming increasingly manageable.
However, Masakadza and his teammates didn’t panic. Zimbabwe’s bowlers regrouped and continued executing their plans, maintaining pressure on Australia’s batsmen. The back-to-back boundaries proved to be a temporary setback rather than the beginning of a sustained assault. Blessing Muzarabani’s return to the attack in the later overs proved decisive, with the fast bowler eventually dismissing Renshaw for 65 in the penultimate over.
Renshaw’s innings of 65 off 44 balls represented his maiden T20I half-century and was easily Australia’s best batting performance. His partnership with Glenn Maxwell added 77 runs and offered hope of an unlikely victory. The boundaries off Masakadza demonstrated Renshaw’s ability to identify weak links and capitalize on scoring opportunities. However, when Renshaw chopped onto his stumps with 31 runs still required from eight balls, the game was effectively over.
Australia’s chase had begun disastrously, collapsing to 29 for 4 in the powerplay. Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Tim David, and Travis Head all fell cheaply to Muzarabani’s devastating spell. Maxwell contributed 31 runs before also chopping on, and Marcus Stoinis managed just 6. Zimbabwe’s total of 169-2, built on Brian Bennett’s unbeaten 64, proved more than sufficient as Australia was bowled out for 146.