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3rd ODI | Zimbabwe vs Australia ODI Series 2026 | Harare Sports Club, Harare | 21 September 2026
Nathan Ellis has already found the answer once this series, ripping through Zimbabwe’s middle order for a maiden five-wicket haul in the series opener. Adam Zampa has chipped in too, reaching 200 ODI wickets in the second match while Zimbabwe’s own pacers went wicketless in the same powerplay. Both attacks have found the new ball loses its bite quickly at Harare, which puts extra pressure on whoever strikes early. The third ODI will likely be decided again by which bowler breaks through inside the first ten overs.
Ellis had never taken more than four wickets in an ODI innings before this series. In the opener, he took 5 for 31 from 9.1 overs, the second-best figures by an Australian against Zimbabwe behind only Brad Williams’ 5 for 22 from 2004, and the fourth Australian five-wicket haul against these opponents. He followed it with another wicket in the second match, though his full figures weren’t as widely reported. Coming into this series, he had 28 wickets from 22 ODIs at an average of 34.53, numbers that undersell how threatening he has looked with the new ball in Zimbabwe.
Zampa took a wicket in each ODI so far, but the second one mattered more than the numbers suggest. His dismissal of Innocent Kaia in the 25th over of the second match was his 200th in the format, reached from 121 matches at a career economy of 4.83. He arrived in Zimbabwe already the more experienced spin option in this attack, and the milestone came via a googly that Kaia simply didn’t pick. Cooper Connolly has chipped in around him with two wickets in the same match, giving Australia two front-line spin options once the ball stops moving off the seam.
Six bowlers have shaped this contest so far, three from each side. Zimbabwe’s Muzarabani and Evans have opened together in both matches without finding much reward, while young left-armer Newman Nyamhuri produced the most dangerous spell of the series with 5 for 62 in the first game. Australia’s answer has come from a mix of pace and spin, with Ellis and Zampa doing the early damage while Connolly mops up later. The gap between the two attacks so far has been consistency rather than raw pace, and the table below sets out where each bowler stands.
| Bowler | Team | Economy (Series) | Wickets (Series) |
| Blessing Muzarabani | Zimbabwe | 4.60 (1st ODI) | 0 |
| Brad Evans | Zimbabwe | 5.66 (1st ODI) | 5 (3 in 2nd ODI) |
| Newman Nyamhuri | Zimbabwe | 6.88 (1st ODI) | 5 (all in 1st ODI) |
| Nathan Ellis | Australia | 3.38 (1st ODI: 5/31 in 9.1 ov) | 6 (5+1) |
| Adam Zampa | Australia | Not found (series); career ODI avg 4.83 | 3 (1+2) |
| Cooper Connolly | Australia | – | 2 (both 2nd ODI) |
The Home Attack Has Struggled for Wickets
Muzarabani and Evans have taken the new ball in both matches and struggled to make it count. Muzarabani has gone wicketless through both games despite figures of 4.60 and a tidy 0 for 30 in the second-match powerplay, while Evans has been more expensive without being much more threatening, going for 41 in his powerplay overs in the second ODI. The altitude at Harare, roughly 1,500 metres, should in theory help the ball carry and swing, and it has in patches, but neither opening bowler has converted early movement into wickets when it matters most. Nyamhuri’s 5 for 62 remains the outlier rather than the trend.
Both new-ball pairs have found early movement genuinely present at Harare, then watched it disappear once the shine wears off. Australia’s top order fell in almost identical patterns across both matches, a pace wicket inside the first two overs followed by spin doing the rest of the damage from over ten onward. Zimbabwe’s batters have followed a similar script against Ellis and company, quick and threatening for the powerplay before the pitch flattens out and scoring gets easier. Whoever strikes in that opening burst on Monday will have done most of the hard work already.
That is what makes this Zimbabwe vs Australia ODI series Bowlers to watch conversation so simple: it comes down to whichever pace attack lands its hardest blow before over ten.
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What was Nathan Ellis’s bowling record before this series?
He had never taken more than four wickets in a single ODI innings before facing Zimbabwe. His previous career-best figures were 4 for 33 across 22 matches.
How many ODI wickets does Adam Zampa have?
Zampa reached 200 ODI wickets during the second match against Zimbabwe, a career milestone. He got there from 121 career matches, at a career economy of 4.83 runs per over.
Who took the most dangerous bowling spell for Zimbabwe this series?
Left-arm quick Newman Nyamhuri produced the standout spell, taking 5 for 62 in the first ODI. It remains the most penetrative bowling effort by either side this series.
Why has the new ball stopped swinging so quickly at Harare?
The shine wears off fast at altitude, and Harare’s surface turns batting-friendly once it does. Both matches this series saw early movement fade by around the tenth over.
Who opens the bowling for Zimbabwe in this series?
Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans have shared the new ball in both matches against Australia. Muzarabani is filling in as spearhead with regular captain Richard Ngarava out injured.
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