Brendon Taylor struck his maiden half century in the shortest version of the game as Zimbabwe handed Australia an embarrassing five wicket defeat in a group B thriller of the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship at Wanderers in Cape Town on Wednesday.
After restricting the ODI world champion team to 138 for nine, the Zimbabweans reached the target with just one ball to spare in a rain-affected match.
Needing four runs of the last two deliveries, the Africans got to the total after getting four byes of the fifth ball of the over bowled by Nathan Bracken.
Man of the match Taylor (60 not out) anchored the Zimbabwean innings — teaming up with Vusi Sibanda (23) to put on 31 runs for the opening wicket and then adding 50 runs in a fifth-wicket partnership with Amilton Masakadza (27).
The minnows had a minor mid-innings hiccup when Chamu Chibhabha (15), Tatenda Taibu (0) and Stuart Matsikenyeri (3) departed in quick succession.
But Taylor held the innings together from one end to guide Zimbabwe to a memorable win. The wicketkeeper’s innings was studded with four hits to the fence and a couple of sixes.
The cliffhanger could have gone either way as heavens opened up with Zimbabwe at 74 for 4 giving Australia hopes of a Duckworth-Lewis win.
However, the rain-delay was brief and covers were quickly taken off as Zimbabwe resumed their innings.
For the Aussies medium pacer Stuart Clark was the most successful bowler, taking two wickets for 22 runs in his four overs.
Pace spearhead Brett Lee, back in the side after an injury layoff, was hammered in his initial spell going for 19 in the first two overs but bowled well towards the end to pick up Masakadza’s wicket.
However, the Australians were done in by a poor batting performance.
Electing to bat under overcast conditions, the world champions kept losing wickets at regular intervals after a top-order collapse.
The Zimbabweans, on the other hand, put up an inspired performance with Elton Chigumbura picking up three wickets.
After brief spell of rain delayed the start of play by a few minutes, Australian openers Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden departed in quick succession on a seaming track.
Both the batsmen made just four runs each before leaving the Aussies reeling at 12 for 2. While Hayden edged a Chigumbara delivery to Taylor, Gilchrist holed out to Matsikenyeri while attempting a pull off the same bowler.
Skipper Ricky Ponting (8) followed the duo back to the pavilion soon as he gave an easy catch to Chigumbura by trying to swing Gary Brent.
Andrew Symonds and Mike Hussey then steadied the innings for some time but disaster struck soon as the latter was run out at 15.
A moment of indecision from Hussey was all that Vusi Sibanda needed as he dived full stretch to hit the stumps directly with the Aussie left-hander fell just short of his crease.
Symonds (33) could not stay for long either as Taylor displayed some excellent glovework to stump the right-hander and end his brief partnership with Brad Haddin (6).
The Aussie scorecard read 102 for six with just 3.4 overs remaining before Brad Hodge’s unbeaten 35, which included two fours and a couple of sixes, and Lee’s 12 of seven balls helped the world champions to 138 for nine.
Ponting admitted that his side had been thoroughly outplayed by the minnows.
“It’s a mental thing for us. We have got to start respecting the game a bit more,” he said after the match.