Australia secured the ODI series against Zimbabwe with a convincing 84-run victory in the second match at Harare Sports Club. After being asked to bat first, Australia posted 356/6 in their 50 overs, with Travis Head leading the charge with a brilliant century. Mitchell Marsh and Cooper Connolly also made important contributions before Ollie Peake’s late cameo took the visitors beyond 350.
Zimbabwe faced a daunting target of 357 and struggled to build the partnerships required for a successful chase. Sikandar Raza was their top scorer with 45, while Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa played important roles with the ball as Australia bowled the hosts out for 272 in the penultimate over.
Travis Head leads Australia to record total
Australia made an explosive start after being asked to bat first, with Head immediately putting pressure on the Zimbabwe bowlers. He raced to 48 from 27 balls during the powerplay, while Marsh took a more watchful approach at the other end. The opening pair brought up Australia’s second century opening stand against Zimbabwe in ODIs, with Head continuing to attack after reaching his half-century. Marsh also completed his fifty from 52 balls before Wellington Masakadza bowled him for 53.
Head continued his assault and reached his century from just 75 balls, registering his eighth ODI hundred and the fastest century by an Australian against Zimbabwe. He eventually fell for 112 from 84 deliveries, but Australia remained on course for a huge total. Connolly continued his impressive run with another fifty, reaching 78 before his dismissal. Alex Carey added 20, while Peake provided the late acceleration with an entertaining 41 from just 18 balls. His final over assault helped Australia finish on 356/6, with Brad Evans taking three wickets for Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe fall short despite Sikandar Raza’s resistance
Zimbabwe needed their best-ever successful ODI chase to reach the target, but their innings never gained enough momentum. Brian Bennett and Ben Curran struggled to convert their starts, before Matt Renshaw made an unexpected impact with the ball by dismissing both batters. Innocent Kaia and Brendan Taylor then added 55 for the third wicket before Adam Zampa produced a superb googly to dismiss Kaia for his 200th ODI wicket. Taylor and Craig Ervine added another 44, but Zimbabwe continued to lose wickets whenever they threatened to build a partnership.
Ervine fell to Zampa, while Evans was dismissed as the required run rate kept climbing. Raza remained Zimbabwe’s leading contributor with 45, but the captain found little support from the lower order. Hazlewood returned to the attack to claim two late wickets, including the dismissals of Wesley Madhevere and Newman Nyamhuri. Zimbabwe were eventually bowled out for 272, giving Australia an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Australia have taken the series with a game to spare. They win by 84 runs in the 2nd ODI ✅#ZIMvAUS #AustraliaCricketTeam pic.twitter.com/nGamUhzEGd
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) September 19, 2026
Also READ: Lungi Ngidi ruled out of Australia ODIs; replacement announced
