How Many Times Has Australia Been Eliminated From ICC Events?

The Australian cricket team has made a surprising early exit from the 2026 T20 World Cup. Their match ended yesterday after a tough loss to Sri Lanka. Australia could not defend their score as Pathum Nissanka scored a brilliant century.

Today, their hopes ended for good. The match between Zimbabwe and Ireland was washed out by rain, resulting in both teams earning 1 point each, leaving Australia unable to qualify for the next round.

It's rare to see the "Mighty Aussies" leave a tournament this early. But do you know how many times Australia has been knocked out of ICC events before?

In this article, we'll look at the history of their tournament exits and how often they have missed out on the big trophies.

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Group B Points Table

How Many ICC Events are There?

Source: Cricket Australia

There are currently four major ICC events for senior men’s and women’s cricket. These global tournaments are held in cycles, ensuring that at least one major trophy is contested nearly every year.

> Major ICC Events:

• ICC Cricket World Cup: The flagship 50-over (ODI) tournament held every four years.
• ICC T20 World Cup: The fastest format (20 overs), currently held every two years.
• ICC Champions Trophy: An elite 50-over tournament featuring only the top-ranked teams.
• ICC World Test Championship (WTC): A two-year league cycle that culminates in a one-off Final to crown the best Test nation.
• Additionally, the ICC organises U19 World Cups for both boys and girls to develop future stars.

How Many Times Has Australia Been Eliminated From ICC Events?

Australia has a strong record in cricket, but the team has also experienced early exits from ICC tournaments. The following table covers every time Australia failed to reach the knockout stage (or lost a final) in major ICC events.

Here's the brief reason why Australia was eliminated at each major event before the knockout rounds.

1. ICC T20 World Cup (2009, 2024, 2026)

• Australia's T20 history has been rocky. In 2009, they were the first major team knocked out after losing to the West Indies (by 7 wickets) and Sri Lanka (by 6 wickets). 
• In 2024, they missed the semi-finals after a shocking loss to Afghanistan and a defeat to India. The 2026 exit is their most recent disaster. 
• After a massive 23-run loss to Zimbabwe, Australia faced Sri Lanka yesterday. 
• Despite a 104-run opening stand between Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh, they collapsed to 181 all out. 
• Pathum Nissanka's brilliant century for Sri Lanka sealed an 8-wicket win. 
• Today's rain in Pallekele washed out the Zimbabwe vs. Ireland match, giving Zimbabwe the final point needed to knock Australia out.

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2. ICC Champions Trophy (2013, 2017)

• In 2013, Australia entered as defending champions but finished last in their group. 
• They lost to England by 48 runs and were bowled out for just 65 by India in a warm-up that set a bad tone. 
• Their final hope died when they lost to Sri Lanka by 20 runs while chasing 254. 
• In 2017, they were incredibly unlucky with the weather. 
• Their matches against New Zealand and Bangladesh were both abandoned due to rain when Australia was in a strong position. 
• In their final "must-win" game against England, Ben Stokes hit a century to hand Australia a 40-run loss (via DLS method), sending them home without a single completed win.

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3. ICC Cricket World Cup (1979, 1983, 1992)

• Early World Cup exits were rare but painful. In 1979, Australia lost to England and Pakistan, managing only a single win against Canada. 
• In 1983, the biggest shock came when Zimbabwe, playing their first-ever World Cup match, defeated Australia by 13 runs. 
• Australia failed to recover and finished third in their group. 
• In 1992, as co-hosts and defending champions, Australia's campaign was a disaster. 
• They lost their opening games to New Zealand and South Africa. 
• Even though they won their final three matches, it wasn't enough to reach the semi-finals, and they finished 5th in the points table.

4. ICC World Test Championship (2021, 2025)

• The World Test Championship (WTC) uses a points-percentage system. 
• In 2021, Australia missed the final by the narrowest of margins. 
• They were penalised 4 points for a slow over-rate during the Melbourne Test against India. 
• Those lost points allowed New Zealand to jump ahead of them and qualify for the final instead. 
• In the 2023-2025 cycle, Australia reached the final but lost the trophy to South Africa at Lord's. 
• While they weren't "eliminated" in a group stage, losing the final after a two-year grind was a major blow. 
• They are currently leading the 2025-2027 table with a 100% win record.

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Conclusion

Even with a few losses, Australia is still the most successful team in cricket history. They have won a record six 50-over World Cups and many other ICC trophies.

Their knack for winning big matches is impressive. When they face tough exits, such as at the T20 World Cup 2026, they always manage to bounce back.

Fans everywhere admire their "never-give-up" attitude. Australia's proud history shows they are true champions who will keep fighting for the next trophy with determination.

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