The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO is gearing up for the return of men’s international cricket after four years when Zimbabwe take on Namibia in five Twenty20 Internationals to be played at Queens Sports Club next month.
Zimbabwe Cricket announced on Friday that Namibia will be touring the country, with the matches slated for the City of Kings on 17, 19, 21, 22 and 24 May.
The Zimbabwe senior men’s national cricket team last played in Bulawayo in July 2018 when they took on Pakistan in five One Day Internationals, a series the tourists won 5-0.
Last year, the country’s senior women’s team, the Lady Chevrons played Bangladesh in three ODIs at Queens Sports Club.
With Namibia having proved to be competitive in the shorter versions of the game, the series against Zimbabwe promises to be explosive.
The Namibians last year put Zimbabwe Emerging Players to the sword when the Zimbabweans toured the Land of the Brave in August last year.
Namibia’s tour of Zimbabwe is part of a busy schedule announced by ZC ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 on home soil, with matches lined up from April until June. An away tour to Nepal is also part of the schedule.
Zimbabwe XI will get the action rolling with three one-day matches and five Twenty20 (T20) games against South Africa A at Harare Sports Club in the capital city from 25 April to 10 May.
While that series is happening, Zimbabwe A will set off to Nepal for three one-dayers and as many T20s scheduled for 30 April-9 May in Kathmandu.
Namibia’s tour of Zimbabwe will be followed by Afghanistan’s arrival for three one-day international (ODI) matches and five T20Is at Harare Sports Club. The ODIs against Afghanistan – scheduled for 12, 14 and 17 June – are part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, a 13-team competition serving as the main route for qualification for the 2023 edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup to be staged in India.
The five T20I matches between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan are penciled in for 20, 22, 24, 27 and 27 June, leading up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 set for July.
