Online Reporter
Blessing Malinganiza, Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE will return to international white-ball action later this month when they travel to Namibia for the FNB T20 Tri-Series involving hosts Namibia and South Africa.
The tournament will run from August 28 to September 6 at the FNB Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek, with the three African sides playing each other twice before the top two meet in the final.
For the Chevrons, the series provides another competitive assignment against two familiar continental rivals and an opportunity to fine-tune their T20 plans.
Zimbabwe open their campaign against South Africa on August 29 before taking on the FNB Eagles on August 31.
They will face the Proteas for a second time on September 1 before completing their round-robin programme against Namibia on September 3.
The competition starts with Namibia against South Africa on August 28, while the two sides meet again in the final round-robin match on September 4.
Cricket Namibia chief executive Johan Muller believes hosting Zimbabwe and South Africa represents another significant step for the game in the country.
“It is not often that you get the privilege of hosting some of the best cricketing countries in the world,” said Muller.
“We had the opportunity to host a once-off game last year, and that has now led to this exciting tri-series involving Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.”
Namibia stunned South Africa by four wickets in their first-ever international meeting in October last year, winning a T20I at the newly opened FNB Namibia Cricket Ground.
The upcoming tournament will therefore reunite the neighbours while also bringing Zimbabwe into the equation.
Both Zimbabwe and Namibia qualified for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup through the Africa Regional Final, with Namibia securing a fourth successive appearance at the global tournament.
Muller said the presence of the Proteas and Chevrons would give Namibia another opportunity to stage high-level international cricket.
“We are looking forward to playing against South Africa and Zimbabwe, who we all know are among the leading cricketing nations,” he said.
“I specifically want to thank the FNB Group for their continued support. We now have the FNB Namibia Cricket Ground, the FNB Eagles and the FNB T20 Tri-Series, which is fantastic.
“We are extremely grateful for FNB Namibia’s continued support of cricket and our organisation, and particularly for helping us bring top-level cricket closer to the fans and the Namibian public.”
After the T20 tri-series, Zimbabwe will leave Namibia while the hosts and South Africa remain for a three-match ODI series scheduled for September 9, 11 and 13.
