ZIM vs AUS Fantasy Prediction, 2nd ODI: Zimbabwe vs Australia Fantasy Team, Playing XI, Pitch Report, Harare

Australia won the opener comfortably, but the story of the match was Matt Renshaw. He made a maiden ODI century, 109 off 94 balls, then picked up a wicket with the ball to win Player of the Match as Australia posted 294 and won by 59 runs. Mitchell Marsh captains Australia for this leg of the tour. Sikandar Raza leads Zimbabwe, who were competitive for long stretches of that first match without ever threatening the result. With the second game ahead, this ZIM vs AUS 2nd ODI Fantasy Team analysis looks at the key players, form and match conditions for fantasy cricket.

ZIM vs AUS Match Details

Match: Zimbabwe vs Australia
Match Number: 2nd ODI
Tournament: Australia tour of Zimbabwe 2026
Date: Friday, 18 September 2026
Time: 7:30 AM (Local Time)
Venue: Harare Sports Club, Harare
Live Streaming: Crex and FanCode

What Happened in the First ODI

Brad Evans struck in the second over, bowling Travis Head for just 4, the fourth time in a row Head has been dismissed the same way recently. Mitchell Marsh responded with a brisk 36 off 28 balls, and Cooper Connolly made a composed 51. Newman Nyamhuri then pulled things back for Zimbabwe with two wickets, removing both Marsh and Josh Inglis.

That brought Matt Renshaw and Alex Carey together, and they added 72 for the fifth wicket. Carey fell for 27, but Renshaw kept going and reached his century, finishing unbeaten on 109 off 94 balls as Australia posted 294 for 8. He then took a wicket with the ball too, a complete match winning performance.

Zimbabwe were competitive in the chase for a long time. Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza put on 50 for the fifth wicket, Raza making 48, but Zimbabwe were eventually bowled out for 235 in 45.1 overs, a 59 run defeat.

Recent Form

Zimbabwe have lost three of their last five. They lost the opener of this series and lost the third ODI of a recent series against Bangladesh, though they did win the first two matches of that same series.

Australia have won two of their last five, but their win in the opener here was convincing. Before that they had a mixed series against Bangladesh, winning the third ODI but losing the first two.

ZIM vs AUS Head to Head Record

Australia lead the head to head 8-2 over the last 10 meetings, extended after the win in the first ODI of this series. Most of Zimbabwe’s history in this fixture came in a 2022 series in Australia, which Australia won 2-1.

ZIM vs AUS Squads

Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza captains the side and made 48 in the first ODI, the standout contribution from the middle order. Craig Ervine added support in that same partnership. Newman Nyamhuri was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2 wickets including Mitchell Marsh.

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

Australia: Mitchell Marsh captains the side. Matt Renshaw was the standout performer in the first ODI, a maiden century plus a wicket earning him Player of the Match. Travis Head has struggled recently, dismissed early for the fourth time in a row in a similar manner. Alex Carey and Cooper Connolly both played useful supporting innings.

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

Pitch Report

Harare Sports Club has hosted 135 matches. The side bowling first has won 53 percent of them, against 43 percent batting first. The average first innings score is 229, dropping to 207 in the second.

Pace dominates heavily here, taking 73 percent of the wickets over the last 10 matches against 27 percent for spin. The highest total at the ground is 408/6 by Zimbabwe against USA, and the highest successful chase is 328/3 by South Africa against Australia.

Weather Report

Friday in Harare is forecast for sunny conditions with a temperature around 24.8°C, 46 percent humidity, and no chance of rain. A full match with no interruption risk is expected.

Probable Playing XIs

Zimbabwe (Probable): Innocent Kaia, Ben Curran, Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza (c), Brian Bennett, Wessly Madhevere, Ryan Burl, Brendan Taylor (wk), Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri.

Australia (Probable): Travis Head, Cooper Connolly, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Marsh (c), Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Spencer Johnson, Nathan Ellis.

These are estimates. Final XIs are confirmed at the toss.

Key Player Battles

Matt Renshaw vs Zimbabwe’s bowling attack: Renshaw just made a maiden ODI century and took a wicket in the same match. Repeating anything close to that would make him the difference again.

Sikandar Raza vs Australia’s bowling attack: Raza made 48 in the first match and remains Zimbabwe’s most important player with both bat and ball.

Travis Head vs Brad Evans: Evans has now dismissed Head cheaply in a similar fashion four times running. Head will want to break that pattern here.

ZIM vs AUS 2nd ODI Fantasy Team

Wicketkeeper: Alex Carey

Batters: Craig Ervine, Mitchell Marsh, Matt Renshaw (C)

All-Rounders: Sikandar Raza (Vc), Cooper Connolly, Brad Evans

Bowlers: Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Newman Nyamhuri, Blessing Muzarabani

Renshaw is captain on the back of a complete match winning performance in the first ODI, a century plus a wicket. Raza is vice captain as Zimbabwe’s most important player, having made the fifty stand that kept Zimbabwe in the match last time out.

Travis Head is left out of the top picks here. He has now been dismissed cheaply in a similar way four times in a row, and that recent pattern does not support a top slot right now.

Also Read- ZIM vs AUS Fantasy Prediction, 1st ODI: Zimbabwe vs Australia Fantasy Team, Playing XI, Pitch Report, Harare

Match Prediction

Australia should win again. They have the head to head record, the momentum from a convincing opening win, and Matt Renshaw playing some of the best cricket of his career right now.

Zimbabwe were competitive for long stretches of the first match and Sikandar Raza gives them a real chance if he can build another partnership like the one with Craig Ervine last time out. But finding a way to actually win, rather than just stay in the contest, remains the challenge.

Australia are the clear pick to go 2-0 up in the series.

ZIM vs AUS 2nd ODI Fantasy Team – FAQs

Q. Who will win the ZIM vs AUS 2nd ODI today?
A. Australia are strong favourites. They won the first ODI comfortably behind Matt Renshaw’s century, and lead the head to head 8-2 over the last 10 meetings.

Q. What is the ZIM vs AUS Fantasy prediction for the 2nd ODI?
A. Matt Renshaw is the top captaincy pick after his Player of the Match performance in the first ODI. Sikandar Raza is the top pick for Zimbabwe.

Q. Has Travis Head been in good form?
A. Not recently. He was dismissed for just 4 in the first ODI, the fourth time in a row he has been out in a similar fashion.

Q. What happened in the first ODI of this series?
A. Australia won by 59 runs. Matt Renshaw scored a maiden ODI century, 109 off 94 balls, and also took a wicket to win Player of the Match, as Australia posted 294 and bowled Zimbabwe out for 235.

Q. Is there a rain threat for the ZIM vs AUS match?
A. No. The forecast shows sunny conditions with no chance of rain.