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Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter
THE wait for the return to international cricket for the Chevrons is over as they are set to play host to Ireland for a full tour starting with a one-off Test match at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo this Thursday.
Zimbabwe and Ireland are set to face off in a series that comprises of one Test, three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and as many T20Is.
The solitary Test match will be played at Queens Sports Club with the white ball matches taking place in Harare.
The Ireland Test team is expected to touch down at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo this evening ahead of their one-off Test match against the Chevrons next week. This will mark Ireland’s first visit to the City of Kings and Queens since they were last here in July 2023 for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers. However, they were last in Zimbabwe in December 2023 where they played a white-ball series against the Chevrons in Harare.
The three one-dayers are pencilled in for February 14, 16 and 18 while the 20-over matches will be played on February 22, 23 and 25.
Arriving in Bulawayo this evening, the Irish Test team will have three days of practice and rest between tomorrow and Wednesday before the Test match gets underway on Thursday.
Prior to their trip to Zimbabwe, the Ireland Test team – which has former Zimbabwe international Peter Joseph Moor – held a four-day training camp in Dubai.
Ireland has a better record against the Chevrons across all three formats.
The two sides have faced each other once in Tests, with Ireland emerging victorious in Belfast last year.
They won that Test match by four wickets. In ODIs, the sides have met 22 times, with Ireland winning 10 matches compared to Zimbabwe’s eight, while one match was tied and three yielded no results. In 15 T20Is, Ireland have registered eight wins compared to Zimbabwe’s seven.
“After a break since the series against South Africa in Abu Dhabi, it will be great to see us get back into action. Since 2007, there have been some wonderful contests against Zimbabwe and this should be no different. It’s exciting to have all three formats on this tour,” said Cricket Ireland national selector, Andrew White in a statement.
Gate charges for the Test match are pegged at US$3 for the rest of the ground and US$5 for the grandstand.
Teams
Ireland Test Squad: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gavin Hoey, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, PJ Moor, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Morgan Topping, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.
Zimbabwe Test Squad: Craig Ervine (Captain), Brian Bennett, Johnathan Campbell, Ben Curran, Joylord Gumbie, Trevor Gwandu, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Vincent Masekesa, Nyasha Mayavo, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri, Victor Nyauchi, Nicholas Welch, Sean Williams.— @brandon_malvin
Online Reporter