New Delhi [India], February 17 : Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice president Rajeev Shukla reacted to Australia's shocking exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup, saying the development highlights the unpredictability and true beauty of the sport.
In a post on social media platform X, Shukla expressed surprise over the early elimination of the Mitchell Marsh-led Australian side from the marquee tournament.
"Australia is out of the World Cup. People never imagined it. This is the true beauty of cricket," Rajeev Shukla wrote on X.
Australia were eliminated from the tournament after Zimbabwe qualified for the Super Eight stage following their Group match against Ireland in Pallekele, which was abandoned due to rain on Tuesday.
With the match washed out, Zimbabwe advanced to the Super Eight stage, becoming the seventh team to qualify. The result effectively ended the campaign for both Australia and Ireland in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup.
After splitting points with Ireland on Tuesday, Zimbabwe has five points from three matches. In contrast, Australia has only two and will not be able to catch up to Sikandar Raza's team even if they win the final group game against Oman on Friday.
Zimbabwe have been placed in Super Eight Group G1 alongside India, South Africa and the West Indies, with the matches scheduled to be played in India.
After this match, Zimbabwe are second in Group B on the points table, just below co-hosts Sri Lanka, which defeated Australia by eight wickets on Monday to seal its place in the Super Eights.
Zimbabwe came off a 23-run win over Australia, having blanked Oman in their opening encounter in the ongoing T20 World Cup.