Captain Craig Ervine led the way as Zimbabwe roared past Scotland to reach the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup.

Ervine's assured 58 set the platform for Zimbabwe to chase down Scotland's 132-6, which was anchored by 54 from George Munsey.

Zimbabwe reached their target with nine balls to spare, posting 133-5, with a key to their victory being a fourth-wicket partnership of 64 between Ervine and Sikandar Raza, who rattled to 40 from just 23 balls and took man-of-the-match honours.

Ryan Burl struck the winning boundary for Zimbabwe, whose opening bowler Tendai Chatara earlier kept it tight to stifle Scotland, taking 2-14 from his four overs.

Zimbabwe had beaten Ireland in their tournament opener before losing to West Indies, while Scotland beat West Indies but lost to Ireland, setting up Friday's game in Hobart as a winner-takes-all tussle.

The victory for Zimbabwe secured top spot in Group B of the first-round stage, earning a place in Group 2 of the Super 12 stage, where they will face Bangladesh, India, Netherlands, Pakistan and South Africa.

Scotland go home, as do West Indies following their defeat to Ireland earlier on Friday.

Ireland, as runners-up to Zimbabwe, progress into Group 1 where Afghanistan, Australia, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka await them.

Zimbabwe will stay in Hobart for their Super 12 opener, an appetising clash with South Africa on Monday.

West Indies T20 captain Nicholas Pooran believes a bitterly disappointing end to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup should serve as a learning experience for the team.

On Friday, a dominant half-century from veteran opener Paul Stirling put an end to the campaign of the Caribbean team, in the first round of the tournament.  Stirling’s 66 from 48 deliveries led the Irish to a resounding 9-wicket win with 15 balls remaining and a spot in the Super-12.

The result confirmed a far fall for the West Indies, the two-time champions of the event lost two of three matches to teams who came through the qualification phase.  Once again, the Windies struggled with the bat on what looked like a fair surface, limping to 146 for 5 in their 20 overs, before Ireland easily moved down the total, with a little application, proving there were no demons in the pitch.

"It’s obviously a learning experience.  We have disappointed our fans back home and most importantly disappointed ourselves,” Pooran said following the match.

“It’s definitely hurting.  I definitely disappointed the guys in how I performed as well but we live to see another day,” he added.

In continuation of a general theme in the format this year, the team continued to find runs at the crease hard to come by and were well bogged down by the Ireland strategy.  Brandon King ended the innings unbeaten for the West Indies on 62 from 48.

“We haven’t batted well in this tournament at all.  On a really good batting surface coming out here and making 145 it was always difficult to ask the bowlers to defend that on this track.”

West Indies were sent tumbling out of the T20 World Cup after a nine-wicket humbling by Ireland in Hobart.

A dismal performance by the Caribbean side saw them post 146-5 in their final first-round pool match, before Ireland raced to 150-1 to win with 15 balls to spare.

Victory carried Ireland through to the Super 12 stage, joining Netherlands and Sri Lanka in advancing from the first round, with one further place to be decided later on Friday.

Brandon King, back from illness, made 62 not out for the Windies but found little by way of substantial support, with Ireland spinner Gareth Delany snagging 3-16 from his four overs.

West Indies are the only team to have won this World Cup twice, taking the 2012 and 2016 titles, but their total against Ireland looked on the low side.

Ireland confirmed that as they encountered little trouble in streaking to victory, with Paul Stirling rattling along to 66 not out from 48 balls at the top of the order. Captain Andy Balbirnie made 37 and Lorcan Tucker finished unbeaten on 45, cracking the winning four to complete the job.

Man of the match Delany said: "It's obviously an incredible day for us."

Saturday will mark a year to the day since Ireland lost to Namibia in their final first-round game at the 2021 edition of this tournament, meaning they were eliminated, and Delany said that had been "one of the toughest days for a lot of us".

"To get over the line today in the fashion that we did was amazing," Delany added.

Skipper Balbirnie said: "It means everything. We had a really disappointing loss last year at this same stage. We did a lot of thinking, a lot of things changed back home. Different personnel came in, a new coach [Heinrich Malan].

"Losing the first game [to Zimbabwe] and then coming back and beating a two-time champion in a must-win game, I couldn't be prouder."

Sri Lanka beat the Netherlands by 16 runs to reach the T20 World Cup Super 12 stage and the Dutch also qualified after the United Arab Emirates broke Namibia's hearts.

Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka suffered a shock defeat to Namibia in their first game of the tournament, but avoided an early exit by responding with victories over the UAE and Netherlands.

A brilliant knock of 79 from 44 balls by man of the match Kusal Mendis enabled Sri Lanka to post 162-6 at Kardinia Park on Thursday, Charith Asalanka also chipping in with 31.

The Netherlands fell short on 146-9 in reply, spinners Wanindu Hasaranga (3-28) and Maheesh Theekshana (2-32) stepping up when Sri Lanka needed them, with opener Max O'Dowd's unbeaten 71 in vain.

That left the Dutch's fate out of their hands, but UAE came to their rescue by dramatically securing their first T20 World Cup win to knock Namibia out in Geelong.

Muhammad Waseem top scored with 50 and captain Chundangapoyil Rizwan made 43 not out in UAE's 148-3. A victory would have seen Namibia advance with Sri Lanka, but they were beaten by seven runs after being restricted to 141-8.

David Wiese's half-century in a stand of 70 with Ruben Trumpelmann looked to have put Namibia on course to qualify, but he was out 55 in an excellent final over from Waseem

Group A winners Sri Lanka face the runners-up in Group B in their Super 12 opener at Bellerive Oval on Sunday, while the Netherlands face Bangladesh at the same venue in Hobart a day later.

Cameron Green has been called up to replace the injured Josh Inglis in Australia's T20 World Cup squad.

Inglis was ruled out of the tournament on home soil after suffering a freak injury on the golf course on Wednesday.

The wicketkeeper-batter required stitches in his right hand after the handle of his six-iron club snapped on impact during a round at the New South Wales Golf Club.

All-rounder Green was drafted into the squad two days before the holders start the defence of their title against New Zealand at the SCG.

The selection of Green leaves the hosts without a back-up keeper for Matthew Wade.

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said: "If you look back over World Cup selections there's been plenty of times where Australia have gone in with only one frontline keeper in the squad.

"That's just to give greater flexibility to batting and bowling structures within the team. It's a conversation about how we want to give ourselves the most amount of options as opposed to covering the small risk that is there."

Australia T20 World Cup squad: Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Aaron Finch (captain), Josh Hazlewood, Cameron Green, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

West Indies quick Alzarri Joseph insists the work is nowhere close to finished for the former champions, despite a campaign revitalizing 31-run win over Zimbabwe at the Bellerive Oval on Wednesday.

Joseph, who scooped man of the match honours, certainly played his part in the crucial victory, bowling with plenty of pace and hostility to restrict Zimbabwe to 122 in pursuit of the West Indies 153 for 7.

The win, however, while giving the Caribbean team a tournament saving two points, still leaves them just out of the equation on Net Run Rate.  In the ultra-competitive group where all the teams are on 2 points after 2 matches, the equation becomes simple.  Win the next one and advance.

“It’s very encouraging but we know the job’s not done.  We still have one more game to win and we have to try and get that win in order to get out of this round,” he added.

For the second match in a row, Joseph, who worked well in tandem with Holder, was brought in with the team on the back foot and managed to steady the ship so to speak.

“For me, it’s all about pulling it back for the team.  I try and get an early wicket, if not I just keep it tight,” he added.

The West Indies will face Ireland in their final fixture of the tournament on Thursday at 11:00 pm, while Zimbabwe will face Scotland.

West Indies Women captain Hayley Matthews’ top-score of 35 was not enough to prevent the Melbourne Renegades from a 21-run defeat against the Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League in Mackay, Australia on Monday.

The Renegades won the toss and elected to field first, a decision that proved costly as the Heat’s Australian opening pair of Grace Harris and Georgia Redmayne put on a mammoth 165 for the first wicket.

Harris scored a 50-ball 65 including six fours and a six while Redmayne remained unbeaten on 98 from 67 balls including 12 fours. Laura Harris was not out on eight alongside Redmayne as the Heat eventually posted 180-1 from their 20 overs. Matthews was expensive, conceding 40 runs from her four overs without picking up a wicket.

In their reply, the Renegades batted decently but fell short of their target in the end, finishing 159-6 from their 20 overs. Matthews was good at the top of the innings with a quick 19-ball 35 including six fours while Carly Leeson ended not out on 34 against New Zealand leg-spinner Amelia Kerr’s 2-27 from four overs.

Matthews’ Renegades are currently fifth in the eight-team table with two points from as many games.

Sussex seamer Tymal Mills has been called up by England for the T20 World Cup following confirmation Reece Topley will miss the tournament through injury.

The Surrey bowler had been a doubt for the opener with Afghanistan on Saturday, before reports emerged this week he could pull out entirely.

Now, it has been confirmed he will fly home following a scan in Perth on Tuesday that revealed more serious ligament damage in his left ankle than initially feared.

It opens the door for Mills, a member of the England squad at last year’s T20 World Cup, to return to the fold after having only previously made the reserve cut.

He is handed the nod ahead of fellow understudy Richard Gleeson, with his left-arm approach a nearer direct match for the departing Topley.

Lancashire's Luke Wood meanwhile will now travel to Australia to join England as a travelling reserve following Mills' promotion to the full squad.

Reece Topley is set to be ruled out of the T20 World Cup, which would leave England without one of their leading bowlers in the shortest format.

The 28-year-old was originally listed as an injury doubt for England's first game of the competition against Afghanistan on Saturday.

But according to widespread reports, an assessment of his ankle injury has revealed a more serious problem than initially hoped, with Topley found to have sustained ligament damage.

Left-arm paceman Topley rolled his ankle during a fielding drill ahead of Monday's warm-up win over Pakistan at the Gabba.

The blow for Topley comes after he made an impressive return to the international stage following fears his career could be over due to back injuries.

He played in all three of England's matches in the recent T20I series win over Australia, having featured in four of the seven games in the 4-3 victory in Pakistan.

With 17 wickets, he is the team's leading wicket taker in T20Is in 2022, and his bowling at the end of the innings has been particularly impressive.

England cannot confirm the news until the ICC has ratified Topley's replacement, with fellow left-armer Tymal Mills and right-arm seamer Richard Gleeson among the reserves who have travelled with England.

Jos Buttler's side will go into their Group 1 opener as strong favourites to defeat Afghanistan at Perth Stadium.

England will face a qualifier in their second World Cup match next Wednesday, then take on hosts Australia two days later.

An inspired spell of pace bowling from Alzarri Joseph jumpstarted a floundering ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign for the West Indies who registered a crucial 31-run win over Zimbabwe on Wednesday.

Joseph ended the match with impressive figures of 4 for 16, but more than anything the innings will be remembered for the bowler's crucial breakthroughs when the Caribbean team’s tournament seemed destined to unravel.

Chasing a somewhat below-par total of 157, a surging Zimbabwe hammered 29 off the first two overs from the opening tandem of Kyle Mayers and Akeal Hosein.  Joseph, however, struck crucially to remove Wessely Madhevere for 9 to dent Zimbabwean invulnerability and return some hope to his team, who took the initiative and battled back into the game.

Joseph’s effort was well backed up by former West Indies captain Jason Holder who claimed 3 for 12 and played a key role in ensuring the plucky African unit was restricted to 122.

In their turn at the crease, the West Indies looked set for a big score, at one point,  cruising at 90 for 3, at the start of the 12^th over, with a set Johnson Charles at the crease.  Once again, however, the team was, however, bogged down by spin and Sikandar Raza wove a magical web to end with 3 for 19 after curtailing the Windies' momentum.  At the back end of the innings, though, Rovman Powell and Hosein combined for a crucial 49 from 35 to give the Windies innings a much-needed lift.  Charles had earlier given the team a strong start at the top of the innings with a purposeful 45 from 36.

Scores:

West Indies 157/7 (20)

Johnson Charles 45 (36)

Rovman Powell 28 (21)

Akeal Hosein 23* (18)

Sinkadar Razza 3 /19 (4), Blessing Muzarabani 2/38 (4)

Zimbabwe 122 (18.2)

Luke Jongwe 29 (22)

Wesley Madhevere 27 (19)

Ryan Burl 17 (19)

Alzarri Joseph 4/16 (4) Jason Holder 3/12 (3.2)

West Indies recovered from their shock defeat to Scotland by defeating Zimbabwe in their second T20 World Cup match.

The Windies were stunned on Monday but atoned for that loss by claiming a 31-run win over Zimbabwe at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

A better team than Zimbabwe might have punished West Indies for another unconvincing batting display, with Nicholas Pooran's side only able to reach 153-7 from their 20 overs. Johnson Charles (45) was their best performer.

Sikandar Raza was excellent in Zimbabwe's opening win over Ireland and he delivered with the ball against the Windies on Wednesday, taking 3-19 from four overs.

Fortunately for West Indies, their bowlers performed – Jason Holder taking 3-12 and Alzarri Joseph collecting a career-best 4-16 to skittle Zimbabwe for 122.

Each team in Group B is now on two points, with Michael Jones' brilliant 86 from 55 deliveries – a knock that included 10 boundaries – not enough for Scotland as they lost to Ireland by six wickets.

Scotland looked well set to claim a second win and put themselves on the brink of the Super 12s as they amassed 176-5.

Matters seemed bleak for Ireland when none of their opening four batters managed to score more than 20, yet Curtis Campher (72 not out) and George Dockrell (39no) put on an unbeaten partnership of 119. 

West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder has rejected claims the team is missing the impact of some of its most explosive players, following a shock opening-day loss to Scotland.

For the first time in decades the team heading into a tournament, without the likes of some of its most experienced T20 campaigners with the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, and Andre Russell no longer counted among their numbers.

Despite that fact, however, Holder insists the team has plenty of quality at its disposal.

“I don’t think we are missing anyone, I think we have every tool that we need in this dressing room,” Holder said.

In Sunday’s opening Group B encounter, the team suffered a shocking 42-run defeat at the hands of Scotland.  The match almost certainly put West Indies in a must-win situation against world number 11^th- ranked Zimbabwe, with only the top two teams from the group.

Against Scotland, the team put in a creditable performance with the ball as Alzarri Joseph and Holder himself each claimed two wickets.  With the bat, however, the team was once again found wanting.  As has often been the case it was spin that proved the undoing of the Windies at the crease.  With Mark Watt and Michael Leask leading the way for the Scots, the Windies were bundled out for 118, with only Holder again making an impact with 38 from 33.

For their part, Zimbabwe were impressive in their opener against Ireland, taking the encounter by 31 runs and Holder knows it will take a special effort. 

“We are just going to have to dig deep.  There is no other way to really put it, we just have to dig deep and bring it together,” Holder added.

The West Indies will face Zimbabwe at 3:00 am on Wednesday.

“There’s no doubt that we have what it takes” was the message from West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder ahead of his team’s must-win game against Zimbabwe at the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia on Wednesday.

The Windies are in a must-win situation after suffering an embarrassing 42-run defeat at the hands of Scotland on Sunday, leaving them at the foot of Group B needing wins in their last two games to move on to the Super 12s.

“Obviously, we had a tough start yesterday,” said the former West Indies Test and ODI skipper in a pre-match press conference on Monday.

“We’re all disappointed with the performance we had but I think the most important thing we have to do now is to come together and try to find solutions. There’s no doubt that we have what it takes to turn it around and it’s all about hitting the ground running against Zimbabwe,” he added.

The Zimbabweans will enter the game on a high after getting a comprehensive 31-run win over Ireland in their first game, also on Sunday.

“They’re a very good cricket team. We’ve played against them quite a bit in the recent past and they’ve been more and more competitive. They’re on a bit of a win streak as well so we’re expecting a highly competitive game; one of the hardest games we’ll have in the competition.”

The first game saw the Caribbean team struggle with the bat, being bowled out for 118 in just 18.3 overs in pursuit 161.

Better situational awareness and the forming of partnerships were Holder's answers when asked about possible solutions for the team's batting struggles.

 “We’ve got to be a little more situationally aware and try to build partnerships. Partnerships are key in any cricket game.”

“The situation of the game will determine how we play. If that requires that we go for boundaries then we’ll go for boundaries but if it requires that we have to knock it around for a bit, we’ll make that adjustment.”

The game is scheduled to start at 3:00 am Jamaica Time (4:00 am ECT).

Karthik Meiyappan's historic hat-trick was in vain as Sri Lanka thrashed the United Arab Emirates by 79 runs after Netherlands moved to the brink of the T20 World Cup Super 12s.

Sri Lanka suffered a shock defeat to Namibia in the first game of the tournament on Sunday, but responded with an emphatic win over UAE at Kardinia Park.

Pathum Nissanka top scored with 74 from 60 balls as the Asia Cup champions posted 152-8, Meiyappan (3-19) becoming the first UAE player to take a T20I hat-trick.

Sri Lanka had been 117-2 in the 15th over, but a late collapse did not prove to be costly as UAE were skittled out for only 73 in 17.1 overs.

Wanindu Hasaranga claimed brilliant figures of 3-8 from four overs, while Dushmantha Chameera (3-15) and Maheesh Theekshana (2-15) also sparkled under the lights to leave Sri Lanka in third place in Group A, level on points with Namibia with an inferior net run-rate.

The Netherlands are two points clear at the top of the group after bringing Namibia back down to earth with a five-wicket victory.

Namibia posted 121-6 and the Dutch got home with three balls to spare, Bas de Leede named man of the match after making an unbeaten 30 and taking two wickets.

Reece Topley is an injury doubt for England's first game of the T20 World Cup against Afghanistan on Saturday.

The left-arm paceman rolled his ankle during a fielding drill ahead of Monday's warm-up win over Pakistan at the Gabba.

Topley will be assessed before Jos Buttler's side take on Afghanistan in their Group 1 opener at Perth Stadium.

England will face a qualifier in their second World Cup match next Wednesday, then face hosts Australia two days later.

The quick has made an impressive return to the international stage after fears his career could be over due to back injuries.

Topley played in all three of England's matches in the recent T20I series win over Australia, having featured in four of the seven games in the 4-3 victory in Pakistan.