Chronicle Editor
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
INTERNATIONAL cricket makes a return to Bulawayo this afternoon when Zimbabwe squares off with Namibia in the first of five T20 matches at Queens Sports Club.
The other four matches will be played on May 19, 21, 22 and 24.
The Zimbabwe senior men’s team last played at Queens Sports Club in July 2018 when it took on Pakistan in five one-day internationals in which the hosts were whitewashed 5-0.
Last year, the senior women’s team, the Lady Chevrons, played Bangladesh in three ODIs at the same venue.
Gate charges have been pegged at $1 for the rest of ground and $2 for the grand stand. Spectators will be required to bring their vaccination cards.
Namibia’s cricket team are currently ranked 16th in the ICC T20I rankings, while Zimbabwe are 11th.
Zimbabwe last played Scotland in a T20I match last year in September during their tour of the UK and won the series 2-1.
The series against Namibia comes after the visit by South Africa A and the tour to Nepal by the Zimbabwe A side.
Namibia’s tour of Zimbabwe will be followed by Afghanistan’s arrival for ODIs and five T20Is at Harare Sports Club.
The ODIs against Afghanistan are part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, a 13-team competition serving as the main route for qualification for the 2023 edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup to be staged in India.
Meanwhile, Lady Chevrons captain Mary-Anne Musonda made history when she became the first Zimbabwean to be crowned champion of the FairBreak Invitational Tournament in Dubai.
Her side Tornadoes beat Falcons by eight wickets in the final of the ICC sanctioned competition that took place in Dubai in conjunction with Cricket Hong Kong.
The six-team tournament is made up of players from around the world and is the world’s first privately-funded tournament in women’s cricket history, with leading healthcare group Gencor as the lead sponsor.
The competition aims to promote gender equality and saw 90 players from 34 countries taking part. – @innocentskizoe
Online Reporter