Zimbabwe Cricket Unveils Squads For Major UAE And India Assignments

Zimbabwe Cricket has announced its limited-overs squads for a demanding tour of the United Arab Emirates while retaining the history-making Zimbabwe Women’s team for a six-match assignment against India, setting up a busy period for the country’s international cricket sides.

The Zimbabwe men’s team will face Afghanistan and Bangladesh in an ODI tri-series before taking on Afghanistan in three Twenty20 Internationals and two Test matches. Meanwhile, the women’s side will travel to India for three T20Is followed by three One-Day Internationals, with the latter carrying points towards the ICC Women’s Championship.

The men’s tour will run from 17 October to 17 November, with Sikandar Raza captaining both the ODI and T20I squads. The selectors have largely maintained the core group that featured in recent white-ball assignments, while introducing additional options as Zimbabwe prepare for a challenging schedule against competitive international opposition.

Richard Ngarava remains unavailable as he continues recovering from a back injury. In the ODI squad, Tafadzwa Tsiga and Vincent Masekesa have been included in place of Innocent Kaia and Graeme Cremer. Both players are in contention for their ODI debuts, while Masekesa has also earned a place in the T20I squad.

Kaia, who is recovering from a thigh strain, has been selected for the T20I series and is expected to be ready for that part of the tour. Kundai Matigimu has also been included in the squad and will replace Brad Evans for the third and final T20I against Afghanistan.

Zimbabwe’s men’s batting group features a blend of experience and emerging talent, with Raza joined by Craig Ervine and Brendan Taylor. Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Ryan Burl and Wessly Madhevere also feature in the ODI plans, providing the selectors with a range of options.

Blessing Muzarabani will lead the pace attack alongside Brad Evans, Ernest Masuku and Newman Nyamhuri. Wellington Masakadza and Masekesa add further choices to the bowling group as Zimbabwe prepare for the different demands of the UAE conditions.

The ODI tri-series begins with Zimbabwe facing Bangladesh on 17 October before meeting Afghanistan on 19 October. Afghanistan will play Bangladesh on 21 October in the final round-robin fixture, with the top two teams progressing to the final on 23 October.

The Chevrons will then turn their attention to the T20I series against Afghanistan, scheduled for 27 and 29 October and 1 November. The tour will conclude with two Test matches running from 5–9 November and 13–17 November. Zimbabwe Cricket is expected to announce the Test squad closer to the start of the series.

On the women’s side, Zimbabwe Cricket has retained the 15-player squad that delivered the country’s first-ever ICC Women’s Championship victory after defeating West Indies Women by four wickets at Harare Sports Club a fortnight ago.

Josephine Nkomo will continue to captain the team, with the selectors backing the group that achieved the historic result as Zimbabwe prepare for another demanding international challenge against India Women.

The women’s tour will begin with three T20 Internationals on 16, 18 and 20 October at Nava Raipur in Chhattisgarh. The teams will then move to the Baroda Cricket Association Stadium in Vadodara for the ODI series on 23, 25 and 28 October.

Nyasha Gwanzura remains among the key players to watch after producing career-best figures of four wickets for 33 runs during the historic victory over West Indies. She has been retained alongside Michelle Mavunga and Francisca Chipare, while the batting group includes Modester Mupachikwa, Sharne Mayers, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Kelis Ndhlovu and Beloved Biza.

Nkomo and Nomvelo Sibanda provide further international experience as Zimbabwe look to carry the confidence gained from their breakthrough victory into the India assignment.

The women’s team recently completed a three-match T20I series against West Indies Women at Takashinga Cricket Club in Harare, losing all three encounters. Despite those results, the upcoming tour offers another opportunity to assess the squad’s progress against one of the leading teams in international women’s cricket.

The ODI series against India will be particularly important because of the ICC Women’s Championship points at stake. Zimbabwe will need disciplined bowling, sharp fielding and greater consistency with the bat to compete across the six-match assignment.

Together, the two tours represent a busy month for Zimbabwean cricket, with both national teams facing demanding opposition across different formats. The men will seek to make a strong start in the UAE before moving through their T20I and Test commitments, while the women aim to build on their historic achievement against West Indies.

With Raza leading the men’s white-ball sides and Nkomo continuing at the helm of the women’s team, Zimbabwe Cricket will be hoping both groups can use the upcoming assignments to strengthen their international standing and gain valuable experience.

Zimbabwe Men’s ODI Squad: Sikandar Raza (captain), Ben Curran, Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans, Brendan Taylor, Brian Bennett, Craig Ervine, Ernest Masuku, Newman Nyamhuri, Ryan Burl, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Vincent Masekesa, Wellington Masakadza and Wessly Madhevere.

Zimbabwe Men’s T20I Squad: Sikandar Raza (captain), Ben Curran, Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans, Brian Bennett, Innocent Kaia, Kundai Matigimu, Newman Nyamhuri, Ryan Burl, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Vincent Masekesa, Wellington Masakadza and Wessly Madhevere.

Zimbabwe Women’s Squad for India Tour: Josephine Nkomo (captain), Beloved Biza, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, Kelis Ndhlovu, Michelle Mavunga, Francisca Chipare, Olinder Chare, Kudzai Chigora, Nyasha Gwanzura, Nomvelo Sibanda, Loryn Phiri, Chiyedza Dhururu, Modester Mupachikwa, Tendai Makusha and Sharne Mayers.