Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema, tinashe.kusema@zimpapers co.zw
ZIMBABWE will this afternoon begin their three-match T20 series against Bangladesh, with Chevrons gaffer Justin Sammons urging his players to stay in the moment and block out any noise.
Both sides are riding high as Zimbabwe dominated both the Test and One-Day International legs of the tour.
They beat Bangladesh by an innings and 85 runs in the one-off Test before taking the ODIs 2-1.
However, Bangladesh secured a morale-boosting seven-wicket victory at Harare Sports Club this past weekend and carry some momentum into the T20 series.
The tour has now reached the home stretch, with the three T20 matches, starting this afternoon at Queens Sports Club.
The match starts at 12.30pm.
They will then meet again on Friday and Sunday for the second and third T20s.
However, Zimbabwe will have a short turnaround before taking part in another high-profile three-match series.
This time they are set to host reigning T20 World Cup champions India, with the series slated for July 23-26.
But Sammons believes the time will come for the focus to turn to India.
For now, it’s all about Bangladesh and finishing off the current tour on a high.
“The focus is not on the Indian series just yet,” said Sammons.
“Right now, all our focus and energy is on our game on Wednesday (today).
“After Wednesday, our focus will be on the game on Friday.
“We can’t look too far ahead, because cricket, just like in life, is all about staying in the present.
“We tell our players to stay in the present and, obviously, we need to do that as a coaching staff as well.
“We need to keep paying attention to what’s coming our way in the next game,” he said.
The three-match series carries extra meaning for Bangladesh after the Asians missed out on the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
Bangladesh pulled out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 citing security concerns and were duly replaced by Scotland.
Bangladesh were due to play their group matches in India with three games in Kolkata and one in Mumbai.
However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), with the backing of their government, asked the ICC to move those games to co-host Sri Lanka, citing security concerns and political tensions.
After their request was denied, the Bangladesh government did not grant clearance for the team to travel to India, with Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul saying playing in India was “not safe” for players, media and staff.
The ICC conducted independent security assessments and concluded there was “no credible or verifiable security threat”.
In turn, thee ICC then replaced Bangladesh with Scotland, who were slotted into Group C alongside England, West Indies, Italy and Nepal.
The Asians have been very busy since the World Cup tournament ended, after India were crowned champions courtesy of a 96-run victory over New Zealand in the final.
The Tigers have beaten Pakistan 2-0 in a Test series and lost to Zimbabwe in a one-off Test most recently.
They beat New Zealand and Australia by identical 2-1 scorelines in One-Day International series before going down to Zimbabwe last week
In the T20 format, this will be their third series, after drawing 1-1 against New Zealand and losing 3-0 to Australia.
And Bangladesh will be desperate to get back to winning ways in the format.
They come into today’s match with some momentum on their side after beating Zimbabwe in their last outing.
The eight-wicket loss was a disappointment for Sammons.
“We didn’t play our best cricket. I think we scrapped our way to 200,” said Sammons.
“We had a fight to get to that point.
“Yes, Wessly (Madhevere) played beautifully and Brad was again very impactful with the bat at the end.
“However, I expected more.
“Probably would have liked to be in and around that 240 mark, which would have been a great score.
“Now, we will take the positives from the 2-1 win in the ODIs and move on.
“We need to, obviously, strive to be ready when we are up. Moving forward, we must try to keep the foot on the throat and finish them off when we are in good positions.
“That is something that we have got to improve upon in the T20s,” he said.
Zimbabwe have since named their 15-man squad for the Bangladesh T20 series, keeping the core group from the World Cup.
Sikandar Raza will lead the team, which also includes the returning Ryan Burl, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers, Tashinga Musekiwa and Milton Shumba, who did not take part in the ODIs.
The team arrived in Bulawayo on Sunday evening and managed to get in a few training sessions ahead of today’s match.
“We traveled well and have managed to get in a few practice sessions,” said Sammons.
“Everybody is in really good spirits and looking forward to the shorter format.
“It’s a different series now and, you know, guys are amped to get going.
“Bangladesh are a good side and might have gained a bit of self-belief from winning the last ODI.
“Ideally, I would have liked to have finished them 3-0, but it’s all part of cricket.
“They are a good side, a world-class side, and we will treat them as such.
“They will have a point to prove in a way.
“I don’t think they are too worried about what happened at the World Cup now.
“It’s about looking forward,” he said.
On the targets going into the T20 matches, Sammons added: “We want to win the series.
“We want to win every game, but it’s about taking it one game at a time.
“And that’s the focus right now,” he said.
