HARARE, Zimbabwe, September 21, 2026: Australia completed a 3-0 ODI whitewash of Zimbabwe, but the final scoreline hides how close the series finale came to becoming one of the home side’s most satisfying victories in years.
Chasing 272 at Harare Sports Club, Australia collapsed to 245 for nine and still needed 27 runs with only Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson standing between Zimbabwe and a famous consolation win. Ellis responded with an unbeaten 36 from 44 balls, Johnson survived alongside him for seven not out, and the last-wicket pair reached 272 for nine with one ball remaining.
Josh Inglis had earlier given the chase its foundation with 103 from 102 deliveries, while Ellis had already taken three for 50 with the ball. Australia captain Mitchell Marsh later acknowledged that Zimbabwe “probably deserved to win,” an unusually candid summary of a match his team ultimately stole through composure, batting depth and an ability to survive the moments Zimbabwe could not finish.
The victory completed a clean sweep that began with Matt Renshaw and Ellis deciding the opening ODI before Travis Head’s century and Adam Zampa’s 200th ODI wicket sealed the series in the second match.
Zimbabwe vs Australia 3rd ODI: Match at a Glance
| Match Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | Zimbabwe vs Australia, 3rd ODI |
| Date | September 20, 2026 |
| Venue | Harare Sports Club, Harare |
| Toss | Zimbabwe won the toss and batted |
| Zimbabwe | 271/8 in 50 overs |
| Australia | 272/9 in 49.5 overs |
| Result | Australia won by 1 wicket with 1 ball remaining |
| Series Result | Australia won 3-0 |
| Player of the Match | Josh Inglis, 103 from 102 balls |
| Player of the Series | Cooper Connolly |
| Key All-Round Performance | Nathan Ellis, 3/50 and 36 not out |
| Zimbabwe Top Scorer | Sikandar Raza, 81 not out from 72 balls |
| Zimbabwe Best Bowling | Brad Evans, 4/47 |
Cricket Australia’s official match report confirmed the one-wicket finish, Ellis’ decisive last-wicket stand and Australia’s 3-0 series sweep.
How Did Australia Win the Third ODI After Falling to 245 for Nine?
The simplest answer is that Australia still had one player at the crease who refused to treat No. 9 as the end of the batting order.
Adam Zampa’s dismissal left Australia nine down at 245 in the 46th over. Josh Inglis was already gone, every specialist batter had been dismissed, and Zimbabwe needed one wicket with 27 runs still required.
Ellis and Johnson did not try to finish the match in one over. They reduced the equation gradually, survived Zimbabwe’s frontline threats and kept the required rate manageable.
The last-wicket pair moved Australia within 17 runs with two overs remaining. Zimbabwe then had the opportunity that could have finished the match when Wessly Madhevere dropped Ellis near the midwicket boundary during the penultimate over.
That miss became decisive.
Australia needed nine from the final six balls. Ellis attacked Madhevere’s first delivery and cleared midwicket for six, immediately reducing the equation to three runs from five balls. The winning single came from the fifth delivery of the over.
Ellis and Johnson finished with an unbeaten 27-run partnership from 27 balls.
The finish also provided the latest example of why Ellis has become increasingly difficult for Australia to leave out of its 2027 World Cup thinking. TSE identified that selection pressure before the tour in our analysis of Australia’s ageing ODI core and the younger players pushing for permanent roles.
Josh Inglis’ 103 Held Australia Together When the Top Order Failed
Ellis supplied the finish, but Australia would never have reached it without Inglis.
Travis Head was dismissed for six and Marsh for eight, leaving the visitors 25 for two inside four overs.
Cooper Connolly tried to rebuild with Inglis but became stuck against Zimbabwe’s slower bowling. His 21 came from 39 balls before Graeme Cremer bowled him, leaving Australia 77 for three.
Inglis responded by building the innings in stages rather than forcing an immediate counterattack.
He reached his fifty from 47 balls and shared an 85-run fourth-wicket partnership with Alex Carey, who contributed 34 from 30 deliveries. That stand restored Australia’s control and brought the required rate below five runs per over.
Carey’s dismissal reopened the game.
Matt Renshaw made only four, Oliver Peake 19 and Xavier Bartlett three as Zimbabwe’s spinners began pulling Australia back into trouble.
Inglis kept scoring through the collapse. His century arrived from 94 balls, with 11 boundaries, before Sikandar Raza beat him in flight and bowled him for 103.
Australia were 227 for eight when Inglis departed.
His innings was his second ODI century and continued a striking series pattern. Australia produced a century-maker in every match: Renshaw made 109 in the opener, Head scored 112 in the second ODI and Inglis completed the sequence in the finale.
Raza highlighted that difference after the match. Zimbabwe had several players reach useful positions during the series but nobody converted one of those starts into a hundred.
Nathan Ellis Changes the Match Twice
Ellis’ contribution deserves to be separated into two different performances because each solved a different problem.
Zimbabwe entered the final 10 overs of its innings at roughly 206 for three and had a realistic path toward 300. Raza was settled, Craig Ervine had already reached fifty and Australia needed someone to disrupt the finish.
Ellis did exactly that.
He removed Wessly Madhevere and Graeme Cremer during the late collapse and finished with three for 50 from 10 overs. Zimbabwe managed only 65 runs while losing five wickets across the final 10 overs.
That spell prevented the target from becoming significantly larger.
Hours later, Ellis became the batter Australia needed when the specialist lineup had disappeared.
His unbeaten 36 contained only two fours and one six, which tells its own story. Much of the innings was built on survival, strike rotation and reading which Zimbabwe bowlers posed the greatest threat.
Across the three-match series, Ellis finished with nine wickets after taking 5/31 in the opening ODI, 1/31 in the second and 3/50 in the finale.
The ICC had already highlighted Ellis’ determination to secure a place in Australia’s 2027 World Cup squad before the Zimbabwe series began. His Harare performances have made that selection discussion more difficult for the selectors in the best possible way.
Sikandar Raza Gives Zimbabwe the Innings They Needed
Zimbabwe’s batting problems in the first two matches had often involved useful starts without one innings large enough to control the game.
Raza came closest to correcting that pattern in the finale.
The captain finished unbeaten on 81 from 72 balls, striking seven fours and one six. His innings arrived after Zimbabwe had slipped to 68 for three following the dismissals of Ben Curran, Brian Bennett and Brendan Taylor.
Innocent Kaia and Ervine repaired the innings.
Kaia made 55 from 66 balls before a right-hamstring problem forced him to retire hurt at 148 for three. Ervine continued to 59 from 79 balls.
Raza then took responsibility for the acceleration.
His fifty came from 51 balls, and he continued finding boundaries even as Australia began taking wickets around him.
Zimbabwe’s 271 for eight was therefore competitive on a used Harare surface. Raza later estimated that 280 to 290 would have represented par, but his bowlers did enough to make 272 look defendable for almost the entire chase.
What Went Wrong for Zimbabwe With the Bat?
Zimbabwe’s innings contained three half-centuries and a captain finishing unbeaten on 81, so the failure was not a simple batting collapse.
The problem was how much scoring potential disappeared during the final phase.
Zimbabwe were only three wickets down entering the last 10 overs. With Raza settled and Ervine still present, 290 was realistic and 300 remained possible.
Instead, Ervine fell at 209, Madhevere at 212, Brad Evans at 226 and Cremer at 231.
The final 10 overs produced 65 runs for five wickets.
That is respectable in isolation. From the platform Zimbabwe had created, it left runs unused.
Kaia’s injury also had a meaningful effect. His 55 had brought stability after the early wickets, and losing a set batter without Australia needing to dismiss him removed one of Zimbabwe’s better options for the final 20 overs.
The hosts have shown during 2026 that Harare can be a difficult place for visiting sides. Earlier in the year, they beat Bangladesh 2-1 in an ODI series before missing their own chance of a clean sweep, a story TSE covered when six dropped catches helped Bangladesh escape the third ODI.
The similarity with this match is uncomfortable: Zimbabwe again built a winning position and again allowed fielding errors to reopen the contest.
Brad Evans Gives Zimbabwe the New-Ball Breakthroughs They Needed
Zimbabwe’s bowling plan began almost perfectly.
Evans dismissed Head in the second over and Marsh in his next, reducing Australia to 25 for two.
He later returned to remove Carey and Zampa, finishing with four for 47 from 10 overs.
Those figures were outstanding because the wickets came at genuinely important stages rather than after the contest had been decided.
Head and Marsh prevented Australia from establishing an opening platform. Carey’s dismissal ended an 85-run partnership that had begun shifting the chase back toward Australia. Zampa’s wicket exposed the final pair.
Zimbabwe also received strong control from Raza, who took two for 42 in 10 overs, while Cremer claimed two for 53.
The bowling attack created enough chances to win.
Zimbabwe’s Biggest Mistakes Came After They Had Australia Beaten
At 245 for nine, Zimbabwe had done almost everything required.
The final passage exposed three costly issues.
The first was catching. Madhevere had already given Inglis a life earlier in the chase before producing an excellent catch to dismiss Carey. His later drop off Ellis was even more damaging because only one wicket remained.
The second was the use of Cremer.
The returning leg-spinner had already dismissed Connolly and Bartlett and repeatedly troubled Australia’s lower order, yet he finished with only nine overs.
Cricket Australia’s match analysis identified leaving that final Cremer over unused as one of Raza’s few tactical decisions open to criticism.
The third problem was closing the final over.
Madhevere began it with nine runs to defend. Ellis’ first-ball six immediately transferred the pressure back to Zimbabwe and removed almost every margin for error.
None of those moments erase Zimbabwe’s excellent work for the previous 49 overs.
They explain why that work did not become a victory.
Why Australia Were Able to Complete the 3-0 Whitewash
Australia did not dominate every phase of all three matches. What separated the teams across the series was the number of players capable of turning difficult positions into match-winning contributions.
In the first ODI, Australia were 107 for four before Renshaw made 109. Ellis then took five wickets.
In the second, Head scored 112, Connolly added 78 and Peake finished with 41 not out from 18 balls before a reshaped bowling attack adapted after Billy Stanlake’s injury.
In the third, Inglis rescued a chase that began at 25 for two and Ellis completed it from No. 9.
That depth was one of the major themes identified before the tour in TSE’s Zimbabwe-Australia series preview, which framed the contest as an early 2027 World Cup rehearsal.
Australia are already looking beyond established names. Connolly, Peake, Renshaw and Ellis all left Harare with stronger cases for future roles.
The selection picture has become especially relevant while Marnus Labuschagne remains outside the current ODI setup.
Cooper Connolly Wins Player of the Series
Connolly’s final innings ended at 21, but his earlier work had already shaped the award.
He scored 51 in the opening ODI and followed it with 78 in the second match, giving him 150 runs across the three-game series.
He also contributed two wickets in the second ODI when Australia needed secondary bowlers after Stanlake left the field injured.
Connolly’s 78 was particularly significant because it extended his run to three consecutive ODI scores of 50 or more at the time.
His development fits directly into the generational questions TSE has been tracking around Australia’s ODI side. The world champions are trying to remain competitive now without postponing preparation for a tournament only a year away.
Australia Complete a Rare One-Wicket ODI Win
The supplied match record lists the Harare finish as Australia’s sixth one-wicket victory in ODI history and their second such win in four matches after another one-wicket escape in Mirpur earlier this year.
Cricket Australia also noted that the chase was Australia’s largest successful ODI chase in Africa in 24 years.
The target itself, 272, was not historically enormous.
The circumstances made it significant.
Australia had won the first two ODIs after batting first. Harare therefore gave them a different World Cup rehearsal in the final match: chase on a used surface, recover from early wickets, survive spin and find a way through a lower-order crisis.
Those are exactly the types of problems bilateral series can reveal before tournament cricket makes them much more expensive.
Australia’s broader generational transition has become one of the central questions in ODI cricket, something TSE continues to explore through our A Celebration of 5000 ODIs project, which examines how pressure, batting depth and small decisions have repeatedly shaped the format’s greatest matches.
What the Series Whitewash Means Before the 2027 World Cup
Australia leave Zimbabwe with three wins, three different centurions and several useful selection answers.
The opposition becomes stronger immediately.
Australia next face South Africa in a three-match ODI series beginning September 24 in Durban, with Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc joining the group for that leg.
The ICC has described the six ODIs across Zimbabwe and South Africa as an important part of Australia’s preparation for the 2027 World Cup, which will be staged across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Its official squad announcement specifically highlighted the value of exposing both established and emerging players to those conditions.
Zimbabwe leave with a more complicated assessment.
They lost 3-0, but the final match showed how thin the distance can be between competing with Australia and actually beating them.
Raza, Ervine, Kaia and Evans all produced substantial performances. The attack took nine wickets. The captain’s tactics worked for most of the chase.
The remaining lesson is finishing.
Zimbabwe have already demonstrated this year that they can beat strong international teams, including a convincing victory over Bangladesh during a home season covered in TSE’s report on their disciplined bowling-led T20I win.
Against Australia, one final wicket stood between progress and proof.
Zimbabwe vs Australia 3rd ODI Full Scorecard
Zimbabwe Batting
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Bennett | c Head b Ellis | 30 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 103.44 |
| Ben Curran | c Inglis b Johnson | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 53.84 |
| Innocent Kaia | retired hurt | 55 | 66 | 7 | 0 | 83.33 |
| Brendan Taylor | b Zampa | 9 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 56.25 |
| Craig Ervine | c Renshaw b Zampa | 59 | 79 | 5 | 0 | 74.68 |
| Sikandar Raza (c) | not out | 81 | 72 | 7 | 1 | 112.50 |
| Wessly Madhevere | c Renshaw b Ellis | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Brad Evans | c Inglis b Johnson | 11 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Graeme Cremer | lbw b Ellis | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Ernest Masuku | run out (Inglis/Bartlett) | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Blessing Muzarabani | not out | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Extras | lb 2, nb 1, w 11 | 14 | ||||
| Total | 50 overs | 271/8 | ||||
Fall of wickets: 34/1, 48/2, 68/3, Kaia retired hurt at 148/3, 209/4, 212/5, 226/6, 231/7, 269/8.
Australia Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Johnson | 10 | 1 | 50 | 2 | 5.00 |
| Xavier Bartlett | 10 | 0 | 69 | 0 | 6.90 |
| Nathan Ellis | 10 | 0 | 50 | 3 | 5.00 |
| Cooper Connolly | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 5.66 |
| Matt Renshaw | 6 | 1 | 26 | 0 | 4.33 |
| Adam Zampa | 10 | 0 | 53 | 2 | 5.30 |
| Oliver Peake | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 |
Australia Batting
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Marsh (c) | c Taylor b Evans | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 160.00 |
| Travis Head | c sub b Evans | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Cooper Connolly | b Cremer | 21 | 39 | 4 | 0 | 53.84 |
| Josh Inglis | b Sikandar Raza | 103 | 102 | 11 | 0 | 100.98 |
| Alex Carey | c Madhevere b Evans | 34 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 113.33 |
| Matt Renshaw | b Madhevere | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40.00 |
| Oliver Peake | lbw b Sikandar Raza | 19 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 59.37 |
| Xavier Bartlett | lbw b Cremer | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Nathan Ellis | not out | 36 | 44 | 2 | 1 | 81.81 |
| Adam Zampa | c Bennett b Evans | 9 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 |
| Spencer Johnson | not out | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 53.84 |
| Extras | b 5, lb 4, w 13 | 22 | ||||
| Total | 49.5 overs | 272/9 | ||||
Fall of wickets: 20/1, 25/2, 77/3, 162/4, 176/5, 203/6, 206/7, 227/8, 245/9.
Zimbabwe Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blessing Muzarabani | 10 | 1 | 49 | 0 | 4.90 |
| Brad Evans | 10 | 0 | 47 | 4 | 4.70 |
| Ernest Masuku | 5 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 7.60 |
| Graeme Cremer | 9 | 0 | 53 | 2 | 5.88 |
| Sikandar Raza | 10 | 0 | 42 | 2 | 4.20 |
| Wessly Madhevere | 5.5 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 5.82 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Zimbabwe vs Australia third ODI?
Australia beat Zimbabwe by one wicket at Harare Sports Club, reaching 272 for nine from 49.5 overs after Zimbabwe had made 271 for eight.
Who was Player of the Match in the third ODI?
Josh Inglis was named Player of the Match after scoring 103 from 102 balls and anchoring Australia’s chase.
Who won Player of the Series?
Cooper Connolly was named Player of the Series after scoring 150 runs across the three ODIs and contributing with the ball during Australia’s second-match victory.
How many wickets did Nathan Ellis take in the series?
Ellis took nine wickets across the three matches, including 5/31 in the first ODI and 3/50 in the series finale.
How did Nathan Ellis help Australia win the third ODI?
Ellis took three wickets during Zimbabwe’s innings and then finished unbeaten on 36, sharing an unbroken 27-run final-wicket stand with Spencer Johnson.
Who scored the most runs for Zimbabwe in the third ODI?
Sikandar Raza top-scored with an unbeaten 81 from 72 balls.
What went wrong for Zimbabwe?
Zimbabwe lost five wickets while scoring 65 runs in the final 10 overs, missed key catching opportunities during Australia’s chase and could not take the final wicket after reducing Australia to 245 for nine.
What record did Australia set in the third ODI?
The win was Australia’s sixth one-wicket victory in ODI cricket according to the match statistical record, while Cricket Australia reported that the chase was their largest successful ODI chase in Africa in 24 years.
What was the final Zimbabwe vs Australia ODI series result?
Australia won the three-match series 3-0, winning the first ODI by 59 runs, the second by 84 runs and the third by one wicket.
Who do Australia play next?
Australia travel to South Africa for a three-match ODI series beginning in Durban on September 24.