Lady Chevrons, USA face off in series opener

THE much-anticipated One-Day International (ODI) match between the Zimbabwe senior national women’s cricket team and the United States of America (USA) is set to take place today at Harare Sports Club.

The Lady Chevrons and USA will compete in a five-match ODI series ending on October 28. Zimbabwe last played in the Capricorn Eagles Tri-Series last month against Namibia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Namibian capital Windhoek.

Unfortunately, two key players, captain Mary-Anne Musonda and Kelis Ndhlovu, will not participate in the match. Musonda is currently recuperating from an injury, while Ndhlovu is preoccupied with her O-level examinations.

Despite this setback, Zimbabwe’s team still has many experienced players, including Sharne Mayers, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Josephine Nkomo, Modester Mupachikwa, Audrey Mazvishaya, Ashley Ndiraya, and Nomvelo Sibanda. Nkomo will lead the team in Musonda’s absence.

The USA team arrived in Zimbabwe on Monday evening and had two days of practice before today’s match.

This tour is the USA’s second visit to Zimbabwe, having previously visited during the 2021 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier. Unfortunately, the tournament ended early due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Lady Chevrons and USA have faced each other twice in 50-over cricket, with both teams winning once. However, those two games did not count as international matches as the USA had yet to achieve ODI status.

The last game played between the two teams was a World Cup Qualifier match in Zimbabwe 10 years ago, with the Lady Chevrons winning.

Today’s match is the series’ opening game, with the four remaining games scheduled for October 20, 23, 26 and 28, all at Harare Sports Club, with free entry for spectators. The match today is set to start at 9.30am.
– @brandon_malvin