Australia secured their first bilateral series victory in Zimbabwe in 22 years on September 18, 2026, defeating the hosts by 84 runs at the Harare Sports Club. The victory gives Australia an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Australia posted 356/6, their highest-ever ODI total against Zimbabwe, surpassing the 350-run mark set in 2014. Travis Head led the innings with 112 off 84 balls, recording the fastest ODI century by an Australian against Zimbabwe, reaching the milestone in 75 deliveries. The performance ended a statistical lean patch for Head, who had failed to pass 26 in his eight previous international innings across formats.
“It was nice to spend some time in the middle and spend some time out there with Mitch,” Head said. “We did not train for a couple of days which was good actually. We had done a fair bit of training going into the series. It was nice to be fresh. We just tried to be aggressive.”
Cooper Connolly contributed 78 runs off 69 balls, marking his third consecutive fifty-plus score in ODI cricket. During the defense, Adam Zampa became the fastest Australian spinner to reach 200 ODI wickets. Zampa achieved the feat in his 123rd match, surpassing the 125-match record previously held by Shane Warne.
Captain Mitchell Marsh highlighted the team’s balance following the win. “I thought it was a complete performance from the boys. Obviously, the way Travis batted and the platform that we were able to set for our middle order. It’s great to see guys like Cooper Connolly and Peake coming in and playing roles like that,” Marsh said.
The win was accompanied by an injury concern for fast bowler Billy Stanlake. Stanlake suffered a side strain during the Zimbabwe innings and was forced to leave the field after bowling 4.2 overs.
The series concludes with the third ODI on September 20, 2026, at the Harare Sports Club.
