Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi-Zimpapers Sports Hub
FORMER Zimbabwe international and current national team assistant coach Dion Ebrahim is convinced the upcoming T20I Tri-Nation Tournament in Pakistan will present the Chevrons with a perfect dress rehearsal for next year’s T20 World Cup.
The Chevrons will face-off with hosts Pakistan and Sri-Lanka in the series, which is now set to take place exclusively in Rawalpindi under a revised schedule following heightened security concerns.
The Zimbabwe contingent arrived in Pakistan early morning yesterday with significant safety assurances from the Pakistan Cricket Board in the wake of a suicide bombing attack in Islamabad on Tuesday.
Reports from the Asian country indicated that the Punjab Home Department has completed the security arrangements for the series between Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
For full-proof security, the department has requested deployment of Pakistan Army, Rangers and Army Aviation assets in Lahore and Rawalpindi.
According to the Punjab Home Department, one company each of the Army and Rangers will be deployed in Lahore, while three companies each will be stationed in Rawalpindi.
Additionally, Army Aviation helicopters have been requested for security operations in Lahore.
The deployment of Army and Rangers personnel will be carried out under Article 245 of the Constitution and the Pakistan Rangers Ordinance, 1959.
Security arrangements for the forces were requested from November 8 to November 30.
During the matches, as well as the stay and travel of the teams, full-proof security measures will be in place.
The Punjab Home Department has also sent a formal letter to the Federal Ministry of Interior regarding the deployment of Army and Rangers personnel and instructed all relevant agencies to complete team security and other arrangements on time.
The Chevrons had left Zimbabwe the same day, pumped up ahead of the series which will not only expose them to the conditions to expect at the World Cup to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka but also to high-quality opposition as part of the broader preparations.
Ebrahim told Zimpapers Sports Hub that the tour was critical in Zimbabwe’s preparations for the T20 World Cup.
The Chevrons are set to return to the stage after failing to qualify for the previous two editions.
“It’s of huge significance; this tour provides meaningful match time and information gathering in sub-continent conditions, the conditions which we will encounter in the 2026 World Cup.
“Added to that, we get to play two very different balanced teams which will test the dynamic nature of all our skill sets,” said Ebrahim.
He also believes the Chevrons have done so much work on conditioning themselves for the challenges in the region, known for difficult playing surfaces, especially against spin bowling.
“The sub-continent is a tough place for any team to tour. You just need to look at the statistics.
“That being said, the playing of spin has been a key area of improvement we are focusing on. Are we ready? Yes. We are planning to expand our skill sets in these conditions,” said Ebrahim.
Zimbabwe have played lots of cricket recently and this has helped their preparations for this tour. But they need to quickly rediscover their winning formula after suffering a series whitewash in the most recent T20I engagement with Afghanistan at Harare Sports Club.
This year alone, Zimbabwe have played plenty of T20I matches including series against Ireland, Namibia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan as well as hosting a 10-team ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier in Harare.
“The amount of cricket the team has played has given us a baseline of where the top nations are currently performing and what gaps we need to identify and fill,” Ebrahim said.
“Every tour provides different challenges. So, whilst you can play and prepare locally, until you play Pakistan you can only prepare subjectively.
“We have confidence coming off some brilliant team and individual performances, and now we need to continue building on this.”
Obviously with the T20 World Cup in mind, the Zimbabwe coaches would definitely have wanted a full squad complement at their disposal to get a balanced assessment.
However, fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani was ruled out from the Pakistan tour with a back injury.
Muzarabani is one of the key players in the Chevrons outfit.
But he missed the last two T20I games against Afghanistan and was overlooked for the tri-series because of the same injury.
“His absence is naturally a huge factor. But at this stage we are very optimistic of him being available for the T20 World Cup,” said Ebrahim.
The Zimbabwe team arrived in Islamabad early yesterday, after making a stopover in Dubai. They will feature in the opening match of the series against Pakistan on Tuesday before facing Sri Lanka two days later in a revised schedule.
The fixtures were amended in response to security concerns following a suicide bombing incident in Islamabad this week.
Originally the games were to be split between Lahore and Rawalpindi, with the former hosting five games including the final on November 29, but the three cricket boards agreed all seven matches will now take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
“The decision to revise the schedule was made in consultation with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), following mutual discussions to accommodate operational and match requirements,” said the PCB in a statement.
Each team will feature in four matches, with the top two sides qualifying for the final scheduled on November 29.
The T20I Tri-Nation Tournament will serve as an important preparatory platform for the three participating teams ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
