Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter
AFTER missing out on qualification for the previous tournament, Zimbabwe T20I captain Sikandar Raza has said their eyes are set on securing qualification for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
The Chevrons missed out on the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup which was co-hosted by the United States of America (USA) and the West Indies with Uganda and Namibia qualifying from the continental qualification process.
Raza — speaking after the conclusion of the Chevrons’ home summer where they secured a 1-0 series win over Ireland — said he hopes to see his players continue improving, pushing themselves to even greater heights.
He added that he hopes to see some of the players taking part in List A matches so that they stay prepared for international assignments. The main target for the all-rounder is booking their tickets to next year’s global showpiece.
“This is the last day (last Tuesday) of the summer for us. The boys have a lot of away tours – the next time we meet will be in July. We need to keep working hard, ensure our ceiling goes higher and higher, and keep pushing ourselves to be better and better, because the end goal is to qualify for the next T20 World Cup.
“We have got our fitness programme already and we have games against Canada A, Scottland A and Durham coming up. Hopefully, some of the boys will be a part (of them) and be ready (for the next international games). The vibe around the ground, how respectful they are, they come up with something when the chips are down — the crowd plays a big part. In a few months’ time, we will see them travelling overseas and that will be wonderful,” said Raza after the match.
The 2025 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Regional Final qualification tournament is scheduled for September where the Chevrons will be competing against Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda for the two vacant slots to the global showpiece.
The 2026 edition of the T20 World Cup is again — like the 2024 edition — a 55-match affair, and the tournament will be played out in the same format, with four groups of five, before two Super Eights groups, semi-finals and a final to crown the next champion.
As hosts, Sri Lanka and India take up the first two spots for the 2026 World Cup. From there, the next 10 spots were determined by Super Eight qualifiers at the 2024 edition, and ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings at the June 30, 2024 cut-off date.
Thanks to their strong First Round play and entry to the Super Eights, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa and the West Indies all secured 2026 T20 World Cup spots, as well as the Americans, who upstaged Pakistan in a Super Over to steal a Second Round spot in Group A.
Despite missing out on the Super Eights, Pakistan secured their place at the next edition thanks to their T20I ranking, alongside New Zealand and Ireland.
Zimbabwe will be one of the teams that will be looking to secure a spot via regional tournaments. – @brandon_malvin.
