Zimbabwe lost their veteran batter Brendan Taylor due to a hamstring injury he sustained during the Oman match on Monday. He was officially ruled out on Friday, which scratches off his participation from the entire 2026 T20 World Cup.

 

At the toss on Friday morning, the Zimbabwe captain Sikander Raza confirmed that Taylor is injured and has been ruled out from the tournament. He said,

 

"Brendan Taylor picked up an injury, and he's been ruled out of the competition."

 

What happened to Brendan Taylor?

 

On Monday, Friday 9, against Oman, Taysor was visibly struggling while running between the wickets. He eventually hobbled off the field, being retired hurt, scoring 31. However, there were no official updates on the nature of this injury. But it was believed that there are other match-fitness-related issues.

 

Following a medical assessment, the ICC Event Technical Committee approved Ben Curran as his official replacement in the squad. 

 

Despite Taylor's departure from the match, Zimbabwe won the match by 7 wickets.

 

Legacy of Brendan Taylor

 

Currently, Taylor is the only player who is playing in the 2026 T20 World Cup and was a part of the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.

 

Taylor’s unavailability leaves Zimbabwe short of both experience and leadership at the top order. Since debuting in 2004, he has been a pillar of the national side, featuring in 36 Tests, 207 ODIs and 59 T20Is across formats.

 

Persistent fitness issues had already raised red flags, with Taylor forced to retire hurt in three of his last five T20 innings. This fresh injury setback only compounds Zimbabwe’s concerns and comes as a major setback for the squad.

 

Read also: T20 World Cup: Wet Weather Could Affect Ireland vs Oman in Colombo

 

Australia in struggle at Colombo

 

Australia won the toss and asked Zimbabwe to bat first. An injury-ridden Australia is already fielding the side without their key bowlers. Adding to the woes, their dependable aggressive batter Travis Head is also struggling to get back his form.

 

In such a situation, Zimbabwe managed to score 162 runs, losing just 2 wickets. Brian Bennett stood not-out at 64 off 56 balls. Tadiwanashe Marumani added 35, and Ryan Burl added another 35. Sikandar Raza came and quick-fired 25 runs off just 13 balls.

 

Meanwhile, Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis injured his left over while taking a catch in the 16th over off Ryan Burl's drive. He had to leave the field in the middle but is back padded for Australia's batting.

 

Australia is currently under damage control with Glenn Maxwell and Matt Renshaw batting. They lost 4 wickets for just 29. Brad Evans and Dion Myers took one each. Meanwhile, another injury popped up as Raza was seen walking out with a hamstring pull even though he is back on the sidelines.