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Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter
THE stage is set for Zimbabwe and Ireland to take to the middle as the two sides meet again for a white ball series, this time being the 50 over format starting this morning at Harare Sports Club.
Having had a go at each other in the T20I series which ended on Sunday with the home side emerging 2-1 winners, bragging rights in the longer format of the game will be up for grabs between the two nations who have faced each other 16 times in this format.
The two sides have won seven games each with one match being a tie while the other was abandoned. The Chevrons will be looking forward to using home advantage as five of the games they won against Ireland were on home soil.
Under the tutelage of Dave Houghton who brought about positivity to the Chevrons ship that was sinking, Zimbabwe will be looking at continuing with the brilliant form they displayed in the later stages of 2022 which saw them record their first ever ODI victory over Australia Down Under.
Zimbabwe will have to do without the services of one of their senior players, Sean Williams who will be out of action for a minimum of six weeks due to a finger injury. Williams is likely to also miss the Test series, where he is captain of the national team, against West Indies scheduled to begin on February 4 in Bulawayo.
However, the Chevrons camp will be boosted by the availability of Sikandar Raza who had missed out on the T20I series after he was granted permission by Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) to play franchise cricket in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and the International League T20 (ILT20).
Gary Ballance also made a return to the team after missing out on the last two 20 over matches due to a mild concussion. Former captain Chamunorwa Chibhabha has made a return to the national team alongside leg spinner Brandon Mavuta after their impressive domestic league outings. Chibhabha finished as the second leading run scorer in the Pro50 Championship behind Tadiwanashe Marumani while Mavuta was the leading wicket taker with 28 scalps.
The Irish will be looking to welcome four players who did not participate in the T20I series. The quartet consists of Paul Stirling, Lorcan Tucker, Andy McBrine and Josh Little.
The last time the two sides met in an ODI series it ended 1-1 in Belfast, Ireland.
The Irish won the first match by seven wickets (D/L Method) and the second encounter was abandoned without Zimbabwe facing a ball after the hosts batted out their 50 overs. The visitors managed to secure victory in the third and final match, winning by 38 runs.
The other two matches will be played on Saturday January 21 and Monday January 23.
Teams
Zimbabwe: Craig Ervine (captain), Gary Ballance, Ryan Burl, Tendai Chatara, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Bradley Evans, Innocent Kaia, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Richard Ngarava, Victor Nyauchi, Sikandar Raza
Ireland: Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Paul Stirling, Graham Hume, Tyrone Kane, Barry McCarthy, Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Josh Little, Andy McBrine.
— @brandon_malvin
Online Reporter