Revisiting Australia’s rich history in Zimbabwe

Australia’s senior men’s team is making just its sixth ever visit to Zimbabwe, but has crammed plenty of history into the clashes between the two nations. This week’s whirlwind three-game series in Harare marks Australia’s first for 50-over matches in the country since 2014, and their first visit of any kind since a T20I tri-series in 2018.

Mitchell Marsh is the only player in the Australia squad who was in Zimbabwe in 2014 the last time they played ODI cricket here – the skipper is set to play his 100th ODI in the first match of this year’s series – while Travis Head, Alex Carey and Billy Stanlake all featured in the 2018 T20 tour.  

Those two previous visits to the country ended in defeats in tri-series finals for the Australians, and of course Zimbawe famously caused a boilover when they rolled the Aussies at the T20 World Cup earlier this year.

That history, combined with the next ODI World Cup being co-hosted by the country – with Namibia and South Africa – make for an intriguing series, and a fresh chapter in what is a brief but colourful history of Australia in Zimbabwe. 

1999: One Test, three ODIs

Playing for the Southern Cross Trophy, a powerhouse Australian side thumped Zimbabwe by 10 wickets in a one-sided affair before the turn of the millennium.

Australia’s bowlers rampaged through the hosts; Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne picked up six wickets apiece for the match, while Colin Miller claimed three wickets with a mix of off-spin and medium pace.

Steve Waugh’s unbeaten 151 and Mark Waugh’s 90 set Australia up to post a mammoth 422. Paceman Heath Streak was the only bowler to offer any resistance as he claimed five wickets before Zimbabwe were rolled for 232 to leave the tourists needing just five runs in the final innings to claim victory.

The Aussies then moved on to a three-match ODI series where Ricky Ponting was the standout, thumping 185 runs in three innings, while Mark Waugh carried on his Test form bringing up his 13th ODI century in Bulawayo. Damien Fleming, who claimed six wickets in the first two matches with his swing bowling, was a major factor in Australia’s 3-0 series whitewash.

2003: ODI World Cup, group stage

On their way to 27 consecutive World Cup match victories, Australia defeated Zimbabwe in the 2003 group stage after the hosts were restricted to 9-246 thanks in large to Brad Hogg’s three wickets and Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie’s demolition of the top order.

In reply, Australia’s top five all passed 30 with Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn and Darren Lehmann reaching half-centuries and easily accounted for Zimbabwe by seven wickets before eventually going on to lift their third ICC World Cup Trophy.

2004: three-match ODI series

Australia returned less than 12 months after their World Cup triumph, with the same results for the Ricky Ponting-led side, who claimed a 3-0 series whitewash.

Ponting scored a blistering 91 in the opening match before demoting himself as low as No.8 in the final two matches, opting to back youngster Michael Clarke, who would score the first of his eight ODI centuries, at the top of the order.

Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and Glenn McGrath were unstoppable as they consistently put Zimbabwe under early pressure with the new ball, but the bowling performance of the series came from part-timer Darren Lehmann, who claimed 4-7 from 27 balls to obliterate the hosts’ lower order and stamp the tourist’s authority.

2014: ODI tri-Series with Zimbabwe, South Africa

After eight consecutive victories in Zimbabwe, Australia came back full of confidence a decade after their last visit but faced a revamped home side and a ruthless Proteas outfit.

Mitch Marsh and Glenn Maxwell combined for 182 runs as Australia posted 6-350 in the opening match before the visitors bowled Zimbabwe out for 152, with Steve Smith’s leg-spin accounting for three wickets, to take Australia’s winning streak to nine.

But their domination was halted after Aaron Finch’s 102 in Harare was trumped by twin tons to Faf Du Plessis and AB de Villiers in a 206-run stand, who helped the Proteas chase down 328 with more than three overs to spare.

 

Remarkably, just six days after beating Zimbabwe by 198 runs, Michael Clarke’s return to the side was soured when the hosts stunned Australia to claim victory by three wickets.

Only Clarke could pass 50 in the tourist’s 9-209, but the bowlers looked to have the job done when Zimbabwe slumped to 7-156 as Nathan Lyon claimed four wickets.

But a late surge from Elton Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya brought Zimbabwe back to life, who won with two overs to spare in just their second ever ODI victory over Australia and their first in 31 years.

 

Mitch Marsh found form late against South Africa in the fourth ODI with seven sixes in a 51-ball 86, as du Plessis’ 126 wasn’t enough to stop the Australians claiming victory and a passage through to the final.

Celebrations were short lived though, as Dale Steyn rollicked through the tourists with four wickets and du Plessis’ 96 the key hands in the Proteas tri-series final victory.

2018: T20 tri-series with Zimbabwe, Pakistan

Aaron Finch was at the peak of his powers in T20 cricket in 2018, and peeled off a world record-breaking 172 against Zimbabwe in Australia’s second match of this off-broadway tri-series. Australia would have been feeling the frustration of a difficult few months at this point – the Cape Town scandal was followed by a dire white-ball tour of England where Australia went winless, soundly beaten in every match in Justin Langer’s first assignment. Finch started this series by pounding Pakistan with a 33-ball 68no in a win with nine overs to spare, but it was the second match the fireworks really started. 

After being sent in, Finch blasted 16 fours and 10 sixes in his 172 from just 76 balls. That took him past his own record of 156. Finch and D’Arcy Short (46 off 42) combined for 223 runs for the first wicket as they carried Australia to 2-229, which is now their sixth highest T20I score. They were on track to become the first men’s team to bat through 20 overs without losing a wicket, before Short was dismissed with four balls remaining, before Finch’s blitz ended in bizarre circumstances, out hit wicket chasing a wide delivery on the penultimate ball of the innings.

 

“It was one of those days, a few things went my way and I hit a few in the middle which was nice,” Finch said at the mid-innings break.

Australia would beat Zimbabwe, but lost twice against Pakistan, including in the final of the tri-series, when Australia’s 8-183 was chased down by Pakistan thanks to a 46-ball 91 from Fakhar Zaman, despite Glenn Maxwell’s two wickets in the opening over of the final. 

Qantas tour of Zimbabwe 2026

First ODI: September 15, Harare Sports Club, 5:30pm AEST (9:30am local)

Second ODI: September 18, Harare Sports Club, 5:30pm AEST (9:30am local)

Third ODI: September 20, Harare Sports Club, 5:30pm AEST (9:30am local)

Zimbabwe squad: Sikandar Raza (c), Ben Curran, Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans, Brendan Taylor, Brian Bennett, Craig Ervine, Ernest Masuku, Graeme Cremer, Innocent Kaia, Newman Nyamhuri, Ryan Burl, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Wessly Madhevere

Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Adam Zampa