Chevrons in tricky Namibia test

ZIMBABWE will be looking to lay down a marker ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 with a strong outing in the five-match Twenty20 international (T20I) series against Namibia that gets underway today at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.

The home side go into the series - scheduled for today, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and next Tuesday, - with a powerful 18-man squad led by limited-overs captain Craig Ervine, alongside fellow seasoned campaigners Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva and Tendai Chatara.

“We need to hit the ground running as we cannot afford missing out on the T20 World Cup, with the Namibia series presenting us with a great opportunity to fine-tune our team for the qualifiers,” Zimbabwe Cricket’s Convener of Selectors David Mutendera said.

Zimbabwe will in July host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B, which is one of two global tournaments that together form the final stage of the qualification process for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 to be staged in Australia.

The squad that will face Namibia includes seven players who were recently on tour with the Zimbabwe A team in Nepal - Tony Munyonga, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Luke Jongwe, Brandon Mavuta, Bradley Evans, Innocent Kaia and Victor Nyauchi.

Wellington Masakadza and Richard Ngarava are missing out through injury, while Blessing Muzarabani is at the Indian Premier League.

“We had to get all the best available players for this series, from the experienced Raza to the upcoming Tony Munyonga,” Mutendera said.

“The coach asked for a squad of 18 and we backed him as this will not only allow for the rotation of players but will also give us an opportunity to have a look in at those players who have been on the sidelines ahead of the qualifiers.”

Spectators will be allowed into Queens Sports Club to watch the T20I series between Zimbabwe and Namibia, provided they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The gate charges are: US$2 for access to the stadium’s grandstand and US$1 for the rest of the ground.

ZIMBABWE SQUAD FOR T20I SERIES VERSUS NAMIBIA:

Craig Ervine (captain), Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza Butt, Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Tanaka Chivanga, Bradley Evans, Luke Jongwe, Innocent Kaia, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Ernest Masuku, Brandon Mavuta, Tony Munyonga, Richmond Mutumbami, Victor Nyauchi, Milton Shumba, Donald Tiripano zimcricket