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Zimbabwe vs Australia 1st ODI Predictions - Cooper Connolly to lead the assault on Zimbabwe

Simon Lewis

Editor

Last updated: 19 Sep 2026

Simon Lewis 19 Sep 2026

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Zimbabwe have won two of their last three ODIs.
Australia ended a three-match losing streak by beating Bangladesh in June.
Zimbabwe beat Australia in 2022 the last time they met in an ODI.

Expired

Cooper Connolly scored 149 against Bangladesh in his last ODI innings (Getty Images).

Zimbabwe vs Australia Predictions

Both sides recently played ODI series against Bangladesh, with Zimbabwe winning the series 2-1 at home while Australia lost 2-1 in Bangladesh.

Zimbabwe vs Australia Predictions
Head-to-Head
Zimbabwe Form
Australia Form
Team news

Zimbabwe’s Innocent Kaia has scored 25 & 72 in his last 4 knocks.
Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett has scores of 34, 32 & 22 in his last 5 innings.
Zimbabwe’s Brad Evans has taken 3/41, 2/33, 2/29 & 2/36 in 4 matches.
Australia’s Cooper Connolly has scored 149 & 47 in his last 4 matches.
Australia’s Mitchell Marsh has scores of 76, 34, 50 & 32 in his last 5 innings.
Australia’s Josh Hazlewood has taken 2/37 & 6/89 in his last 5 innings.

Head-to-Head

Australia have won three and lost two of their last five ODIs against Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe Form

Zimbabwe enter the series with genuine belief after beating Bangladesh 2-1 in Harare earlier this year, while recent victories over Australia provide further encouragement. They famously defeated the Australians at the T20 World Cup in February and also won the most recent ODI between the countries in Townsville in 2022.

Sikandar Raza now takes charge of an experienced squad containing Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor and Graeme Cremer, alongside younger threats such as Brian Bennett and Ben Curran. Taylor is also just 81 runs away from becoming Zimbabwe’s leading ODI run-scorer. Their bowling remains dangerous despite Richard Ngarava’s absence, with Blessing Muzarabani having taken 11 ODI wickets this year and producing 4/17 against Australia at the World Cup.

Brad Evans offers important all-round balance after earning player-of-the-series honours against Bangladesh, scoring two half-centuries and claiming five wickets. Home conditions should give Zimbabwe another opportunity to trouble stronger opposition.

Australia Form

Australia begin the tour looking to restore some ODI momentum after a surprisingly difficult 2026 campaign. They have won only two of six matches this year, losing successive three-game series 2-1 against Pakistan and Bangladesh.

However, their squad is significantly strengthened by the return of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head, while Josh Hazlewood, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis and Adam Zampa provide considerable international experience. Cooper Connolly arrives in particularly strong form after a superb 149 from 134 balls helped Australia complete a one-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their most recent ODI.

The tour is also an important part of preparations for the 2027 World Cup in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia, giving younger players such as Connolly, Oliver Peake and Joel Davies opportunities to press for long-term roles. Australia unquestionably possess greater depth, but their recent inconsistency — coupled with Zimbabwe’s home advantage and confidence against them — means this may be considerably more competitive than rankings suggest.

Team news

Zimbabwe will be captained by Sikandar Raza after Richard Ngarava was ruled out with a back injury, while Tanaka Chivanga also misses out. Brendan Taylor and Graeme Cremer return, with Taylor sharing wicketkeeping duties with Tadiwanashe Marumani. Australia rest Pat Cummins, while Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head return to the squad.

Harare should offer early assistance to seamers before becoming increasingly useful for spin. The last 28 ODIs have produced an average first-innings score of around 240, although 250–270 should represent a strong total. Hazy sunshine and temperatures around 29°C are forecast, with rain unlikely to interfere.

Zimbabwe (possible XI): Brendan Taylor, T Marumani, CR Ervine, I Kaia, Brian Bennett, G Cremer, Sikandar Raza (c), RP Burl, W Madhevere, B Evans, B Muzarabani.

Australia (possible XI): AT Carey, JP Inglis, TM Head, C Green, Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, MR Marsh (c), Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, SH Johnson, A Zampa.

Verdict

Zimbabwe v Australia

Australia are huge favourites to take the win, with Innocent Kaia, Brad Evans, Cooper Connolly and Josh Hazlewood all in form and backed to pick up wickets and score runs.

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