Ervine upbeat ahead of Irish Test

Brandon Moyo, Zimpapers Sports Hub

ZIMBABWE captain Craig Ervine is confident that his Chevrons side will be able to grind a positive result when they host Ireland in a one-off Test match scheduled for Queens Sports Club and starting on Thursday.

The first and last time the Chevrons played a Test match against Ireland was in Belfast in 2023, and the latter secured a four-wicket win.

The forthcoming game will be the second red ball meeting between the two nations.

Ervine is confident that playing at home, they will be able to make maximum use of home advantage and make it count.

He said what is crucial is to stick to their processes and is pleased with the improvement he has seen from the players over the past couple of months.

“We didn’t get the results we wanted when we played Ireland; it was in their conditions. For us, we are now at home; we have the home advantage, and hopefully we can utilise that. We just need to stick to our processes.

“We have improved a lot in the last couple of months, especially with the amount of cricket that we have been playing. So just because of the opposition, I don’t think we need to change too much, but a lot of focus should be on us and not them,” said Ervine.

Zimbabwe’s Test squad includes two new faces, the uncapped duo of 27-year-old leg-spinner Vincent Masekesa and 26-year-old top-order batter Nicholas Welch, who have both been rewarded for their impressive performances on the domestic front.

The Chevrons skipper added that it is exciting to see new faces in the set-up and is hopeful that if they do make their debuts, they will continue with their good form.

“It’s really exciting to see some new faces in the squad. A lot of credit to them for the hard work that they have put in during our domestic season. It’s nice to see guys getting rewarded for some good performances, and hopefully, if they do get a crack at this Test, they can continue with their good form,” said Ervine.

Zimbabwe and Ireland are set to face off in a series that comprises one Test, three One Day Internationals (ODIs), and as many T20Is.

With the solitary Test match taking place at Queens Sports Club, the white ball matches will be played 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.