Nineteen years later, Zimbabwe beat Australia with genuine belief and not just hope

In the drizzle of a spring evening in Cape Town in 2007, a young Zimbabwean squad stood on the boundary's edge at Newlands, four runs away from beating Australia for the first time in T20Is. Brendan Taylor, 22 and fresh off a fight with the country's board, had bashed 60 off 43 balls and was facing Nathan Bracken, who bowled the penultimate delivery on the pads. It was deflected to the ropes for the winning runs. Zimbabwe's players spilled onto the field, in an unravelling of pure, raw joy as the rain came down. They had toppled cricket's most feared white-ball side and announced themselves to the world.

In the bright sunshine of a Colombo afternoon, an older, wiser Zimbabwe squad were out on the field, an over away from defending a score of 169. Brendan Taylor, 40 years old, fresh off his second coming after a ban and even more freshly ruled out of the T20 World Cup earlier in the day, sat on the sidelines, in his full match kit with his wicket-keeping pads on - for reasons unknown. Brad Evans, son of former international Craig, had the ball in his hand. Nathan Ellis took five off his first two balls but then Matt Kuhnemann flicked the ball to him and took off. Evans had him run out at the striker's end. Zimbabwe's veterans walked onto the field - no running was possible - the sense of success in their every step, stars in their eyes, sunshine on their backs.

Nineteen years after they first did it, they did it again and anyone who was there the first time, says the second is better.

"It was an awesome feeling then. No one had given us a chance at all being such a young side then and everything just clicked for us on the day," Hamilton Masakadza, who was part of Zimbabwe's XI in the 2007 game, told ESPNcricinfo. "But I'm even happier with the one today. I couldn't be more proud of the boys," Hamilton, whose younger brother Wellington played today, said.

Hamilton was watching from home, where he is part of the team that will organise the 2027 ODI World Cup. Tatenda Taibu, also part of that team, has just been back to Zimbabwe as Under-19 World Cup ambassador from his new home in England, and was equally giddy. "Brilliantly done. Don't we love playing against Australia in T20 World Cups." Stuart Matsikenyeri, also in the side that beat Australia in 2007, is the current team's fielding coach.

Tino Mawoyo, who had been capped twice in ODIs by 2007, was settled with a group of mates on the grass banks for that match, a Zimbabwe training vest on and the flag proudly in his arms. Today he is in Kandy, where he is working as a venue manager for the ICC on this tournament. "You can't really have a better performance than that," he said.

In many ways, Mawoyo is right. Nineteen years ago, Zimbabwe's win seemed like it was magicked out of fortune and favourable weather gods (play was initially stopped after 12 overs of their chase with Australia five runs ahead on DLS). Nineteen years later, they bossed the game and no one can argue that they scripted this win on skill alone.

Brian Bennett is Zimbabwe's most promising batter of the last two generations and his returns across all formats reflect that. This was his tenth T20I half-century in a career that is not even three years old. Over the last two years, Tadiwanashe Marumani has found consistency that equips him to partner Bennett with confidence and now strikes at over 140. With Taylor injured and Sean Williams no longer considered for selection, Zimbabwe have a gap in their middle order. The decision to move Ryan Burl up the order was a masterstroke, but it was their bowlers who made 169 enough.

In Blessing Muzarabani, Zimbabwe have a bona fide superstar, who has all the assets of a great. He is tall, quick, has a mean bouncer and knows how to adjust his lengths to maximum efficacy. With Richard Ngarava (also out of this game) and Evans, Zimbabwe have the makings of a quality attack, especially given their spin options. Even with Raza unable to be on the field as he battled cramp, Burl, Graeme Cremer and Wellington Masakadza controlled things, and don't forget their fielding. Tony Munyonga and Bennett are responsible for two of the best catches of the tournament, both running on the boundary and taking blinders. That's the sign Zimbabwe has what was missing nearly two decades ago: genuine belief and it hasn't come easy.

In the last eight years, Zimbabwe have been humiliated in a way no other Full Member has after missing out on the 2019 and 2023 ODIs World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup. They never fully expressed the depth of the embarrassment they felt but there was enough backlash to show that it was severe.

After the qualifier for the 2019 World Cup, the late Heath Streak and his entire coaching staff were sacked, Cremer moved to Dubai as his wife got a job abroad, and cricket teetered was almost completely wiped out when Zimbabwe's board was suspended for government interference. It was a slow and economically painful rebuild to try again for the 2023 edition. In a country where hope is the only currency that could work, Zimbabwean fans returned to see if the team could make amends. When Zimbabwe beat West Indies at Harare Sports Club, there were so many people around the ground that a big screen was put up in the parking lot for spectators. When the team moved to Bulawayo, things went south and they lost out again.

But it was the failure to qualify for 2024 which was the real stinker as it meant Zimbabwe were the only Full Member to miss out on the tournament. Losing to Uganda meant Zimbabwe were being passed by on their own continent, where cricket is dwarfed by football in most places. That's why getting to this event was a relief, not a celebration, and being here was a fight for relevance in the global game.

When Zimbabwe had Oman at 27 for 5, that was them saying, "Hey, we're here, we still matter," They may even have been annoyed that their eight-wicket win was not more emphatic especially because pre-tournament, Zimbabwe had identified beating Oman and Ireland as non-negotiable. Anything else would be a bonus they said, but quietly, they were hoping to turn Group B into a second group of death (after group D).

Whether they have succeeded in doing that will only be known once they play their remaining games and could still be dependent on other results in the group. Immediately, that won't be the concern. Neither will the niggles that are piling up, with Raza, Ngarava and Cremer all certain to be in the physiotherapists' room. For now, what matters is that Zimbabwe have resurrected the feeling from 19 years ago and given it new life. They are a team that could finally be turning potential into something potent. Come rain or shine, that's what happens when you beat big sides and Zimbabwe should be allowed to soak that in.