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The Zimbabwe Cricket Thread

Should Zimbabwe have Test status?

  • No, they do not deserve Test status

    Votes: 13 50.0%

  • Yes, they should continue having Test status

    Votes: 13 50.0%
  • Total voters
    26
It's still raining.

Zimbabwe are 2 runs behind Duckworth. If no further play is possible, Ireland win.
 
Game resumed. Overs have been reduced. Zimbabwe need 214 runs from 37 overs (revised target).
 
IRE 288/4 (50)

ZIM 214/7 (37)

Zimbabwe won by 3 wkts (DLS Method)

PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Ryan Burl
 
Zimbabwe vs Ireland, 2nd ODI

Pitch report: There is a glass sheen on the pitch which is helping to bind the pitch together. It is a dry pitch and not many cracks. The pitch for this one is the best for the series. It is a bit green but it is rolled nice and hard. It will have pace and bounce.

Paul Stirling: We would have bowled as well, in Harare if you win the toss and generally bowl first to make use of the help. It [the pitch] looks dry so potentially won't be as tough. Over the last 18 months, we have had a lot of close games and we have come out on the wrong side, that's something that we want to work on this year. We have to bat exceptionally well to get a big score. We have one change.

Sikandar Raza: We are going to have a bowl. Unfortunately Craig [Ervine] has got a thing with his finger, so he misses out. We don't want to miss him out on the Tests, so a precautionary measure not to play him. Our bowlers thought did an exceptional job in the first ODI, lots of edges and inside-edges from the two centurions. Ideally we would like to have a few more wickets up front today as we have picked an extra seamer. It looks a dry pitch and expect a high-scoring game. Whatever they score, we have to score one more to win. We have three changes.

Teams:
Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Innocent Kaia, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Chamu Chibhabha, Gary Ballance, Sikandar Raza(c), Ryan Burl, Clive Madande(w), Brad Evans, Richard Ngarava, Tendai Chatara, Victor Nyauchi

Ireland (Playing XI): Paul Stirling(c), Stephen Doheny, Murray Commins, Harry Tector, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker(w), Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Graham Hume, Joshua Little

Zimbabwe have won the toss and have opted to field

==

IRE 47/0 (10) CRR: 4.7
Zimbabwe opt to bowl
 
Owu3mfc.png
 
2nd ODI • Ireland tour of Zimbabwe, 2023
IRE 294/7 (50)
ZIM 248 (47.3)
Ireland won by 46 runs
 
Ireland Men won a closely fought match by 46 runs in Harare to level the ODI series 1-1 with one to play. Josh Little took career-best ODI figures of 4-38 to close out Zimbabwe’s hopes of victory, along with milestone performances with the bat from Stephen Doheny and Harry Tector, which helped Ireland post 294-7 in the first innings.

Despite strong resistance from Gary Ballance and Innocent Kaia, who both registered fifties, the home side were bowled out with two overs and three balls left in the match.

Following Wednesday’s thrilling match in which Clive Madande was the hero, hitting a boundary off the last ball to shatter Irish hearts, today’s game in Harare was also evenly matched until a late flurry of Zimbabwean wickets, with the series now still alive going into its final act.

Paul Stirling captained in the absence of Andrew Balbirnie, who suffered a concussion in the first ODI. Ireland lost the toss and was asked to bat, with Murray Commins making his international debut.

Creating a good platform first up, Stirling and Doheny combined for a 100-run partnership in 20 overs, including two huge sixes from Stirling on the leg side. After he was dismissed in the 21st over and Commins departed soon after for six, Doheny combined with Harry Tector to score the bulk of runs. In just his second ODI appearance, Doheny registered his maiden half-century off 76 balls.

Coming in four runs short of 1,000 ODI runs, it took Tector just eight balls to break Stirling’s record and become the fastest Ireland player to reach the milestone in men’s ODIs, taking just 25 innings to do so.

Zimbabwe turned to the short-ball tactic with few other options to limit Tector and Doheny, but the two batters cashed in, with the team’s 150 coming up in the 31st over – in which Sikandar Raza was hit for two boundaries. Doheny was finally dismissed for 84 by Ryan Burl, top-edging a reverse sweep, and Ballance taking a good, low, diving catch.

Continuing from his brilliant hundred in the first match of the series on Wednesday, Tector went on to smash 75 from 61 balls, giving Ireland hopes of a 300-plus score. In a fiery moment of frustration, Victor Nyauchi threw the ball at Tector in his follow-through, despite the batter never leaving his crease, hitting him on the shoulder and prompting the umpires to intervene and calm tensions down. Tector followed up a few overs later with a huge six straight down the ground off Brad Evans and a four off the following ball.

Once Tector was finally dismissed, Ireland fell just short of the 300-run mark, despite useful cameos from George Dockrell (30) and Lorcan Tucker (11).

The ever-present threat of rain held off, and Zimbabwe began their innings with Little dismissing Tadiwanashe Marumani LBW with his second delivery.

A promising partnership from Kaia and Chami Chibhabha worth 90 may have had Ireland fans worried early on in the chase, but nerves would have steadied after Andy McBrine got Kaia's wicket, thanks to a brilliant diving catch from Graham Hume, with Little continuing his magic to dismiss Chimhabha.

Despite Zimbabwe keeping up with the required run rate through the majority of the innings, Ireland’s bowlers kept making crucial inroads to peg them back. Mark Adair got the all-important wicket of Raza before Campher effected a fortunate run out of Ryan Burl at the non-striker’s end. Campher got a small touch on a straight drive from Ballance in his follow-through, which deflected onto the stumps with Burl out of his ground. It was a big moment going into the last ten overs with Zimbabwe needing 88 more runs.

There was to be no end of match heroics from Madande this time though, with Little taking out his off stump with a hooping delivery and claiming Richard Ngarava as his final victim to complete his career-best ODI figures.

Mark Adair took the final wicket to complete another thrilling match in Harare, with the series decider set to be a blockbuster on Monday.


MATCH SUMMARY

Zimbabwe v Ireland, 2nd ODI, Harare Sports Club, Harare, 21 January 2023

Ireland 294-7 (50 overs; S Doheny 84, H Tector 75, P Stirling 45; T Chatara 3-51)
Zimbabwe 248 (47.3 overs; G Balance 52, I Kaia 51; J Little 4-38)

Ireland won by 46 runs
 
Zimbabwe vs Ireland, 3rd ODI

Zimbabwe have won the toss and have opted to bat

Paul Stirling: We were actually looking to bowl. Whoever plays good cricket will win. Nice to get over the line (in the 2nd ODI). We are happy with that but we still have plenty to work on. McBrine misses due to a finger injury. We bring in Gareth Delany.

Craig Ervine: We are gonna have a bat first. The wicket looks drier than the 2nd ODI. Hopefully we can put a decent score and put Ireland under pressure. We were looking to restrict them to 270, them getting to 290-odd was out of the reach. The finger is not too bad, it's about managing. Ballance is out with a niggle, Chatara and Victor Nyauchi are out. Mavuta comes in.

Pitch Report | Darlington Matambanadzo: Overcast conditions. It's a reused surface, same wicket that was used for the 2nd ODI. There's a little bit of wear, there might be assistance for the spinners.

Teams:

Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Innocent Kaia, Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Craig Ervine(c), Chamu Chibhabha, Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Brad Evans, Richard Ngarava, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta

Ireland (Playing XI): Paul Stirling(c), Stephen Doheny, Murray Commins, Harry Tector, George Dockrell, Lorcan Tucker(w), Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Graham Hume, Joshua Little
 
Play stopped due to rain! The forecast predicted rain and it has arrived. Now, the biggers covers come in as well, which means that the rain has got heavier. The spectators, meanwhile, run to take cover.

ZIM 55/1 (13) CRR: 4.23
Rain stops play
 
Zimbabwe vs Ireland | 3rd ODI | 23rd January 2023

Zim batting in the decider!

Chibhabha was off at a good clip before Adair got him caught behind.

55-1 after 13 overs.
 
ZIM 55/1 (13)

No result

PLAYER OF THE SERIES
Harry Tector
 
A cricket supporter has received a five-year ban after he unsuccessfully tried to get a Zimbabwe international player involved in a spot-fixing deal, Zimbabwe Cricket announced on Saturday as it called for such offences to be criminalised.

Edward Walter Mupangano, a 27-year-old from Harare, was banned by Zimbabwe Cricket after approaching Luke Jongwe last August and sought to introduce him to an Indian bookmaker.

The book maker allegedly wanted the player to bowl in a pre-arranged manner during an international match in return for a payment amounting to $7,000, a statement said.

“The facilitator himself would allegedly receive $3,000 if the planned corrupt activity was successful. Jongwe immediately reported the approach,” it added.

Following an investigation, Mupangano accepted a charge of violating Zimbabwe Cricket’s Anti-Corruption Code and was banned for five years from all ZC-affiliated cricket venues and events.

“ZC believes cases such as this demonstrate the urgent need for Zimbabwe to have a legal instrument to make fixing and any other sporting corruption a criminal offence.

“It is our view that harsh sanctions, including custodial sentences, will go a long way in helping cricket to curb one of the biggest threats to its credibility,” Zimbabwe Cricket Chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said.

“Criminalising match-fixing and spot-fixing will send a strong warning to offenders and would-be offenders that corruption has no place in cricket and those who engage in it should be jailed or put out of the game,” he added.

Reuters
 
Zimbabwe vs Netherlands, 1st ODI
Venue: Harare Sports Club, Harare

Netherlands won the toss and opted to field

Netherlands (Playing XI): Vikramjit Singh, Max ODowd, Tom Cooper, Musa Ahmed, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards(w/c), Teja Nidamanuru, Shariz Ahmad, Paul van Meekeren, Fred Klaassen, Brandon Glover

Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Innocent Kaia, Craig Ervine(c), Wesley Madhevere, Gary Ballance, Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Wellington Masakadza, Clive Madande(w), Brad Evans, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani
 
Incredible recovery by Zimbabwe from 100 odd for 7 to 249 and Netherlands now struggling at 118/6 after 32 overs.

Zimbabwe on top.

Watched a bit of this game on Fancode and I can tell you after a very very long time this Harare wicket is like of the old 90s and 00s one with Pace and Bounce... Very different to how it has been over the last 10-15 yrs or so.
 
David Houghton seems like a very good coach.

Zim cricket team has been showing good improvement since he took over.
 
Yeah Houghton has turned it around for them.

Very good game going on, Netherlands fighting back here.
 
Six!

Netherlands beat Zimbabwe. Well done.

Zimbabwe - 249-all out.
Netherlands - 255/7 (49.5 overs).

Netherlands go up 1-0.
 
sweep_shot said:
Six!

Netherlands beat Zimbabwe. Well done.

Zimbabwe - 249-all out.
Netherlands - 255/7 (49.5 overs).

Netherlands go up 1-0.
Click to expand...

==

Teja Nidamanuru scored a stunning maiden one-day international century to give the Netherlands a dramatic last over three-wicket victory over Zimbabwe on Tuesday in the first match of three.

Zimbabwe recovered from a poor start to post 249 in Harare and the Dutch, who were struggling at 64 for five and then 110 for six, secured their first away win since 2014 when Paul van Meekeran smashed the penultimate ball for six.

Nidamanuru, who was born in India, was unbeaten on 110 off 96 balls in his ninth ODI appearance, clubbing three sixes and nine fours.

He did, however, benefit from two dropped chances before he reached his hundred as Zimbabwe struggled in the field.

Van Meekeran was also put down in the last over by former England batsman Gary Ballance, now playing for his native Zimbabwe.

Colin Ackermann, a former South Africa Under-19 international, made an excellent 50 while Shariz Ahmad (30) and Van Meekeren (21 not out) were the other Dutch batters to help turn likely defeat into a surprise victory.

The tourists were in trouble at 64 for five, then Nidamanuru shared partnerships of 46 with Ackermann and 110 with Ahmad to turn the tide.

Nidamanuru batted at number seven, and so did Zimbabwean Clive Madande, whose 72 in only his fourth ODI transformed an innings that was reeling at 98 for seven.

Madande struck six fours off 98 balls before being caught at first slip by captain and rival wicketkeeper Scott Edwards off the bowling of Fred Klaassen.

The three-match series continues on Thursday

The Dutch then play two further ODIs against South Africa, on March 31 and April 2.
 
Zimbabwe vs Netherlands, 2nd ODI
Netherlands tour of Zimbabwe, 2023
Venue: Harare Sports Club

Zimbabwe have won the toss and opted to bat

Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Craig Ervine, Wesley Madhevere, Gary Ballance, Sean Williams(c), Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Clive Madande(w), Wellington Masakadza, Brad Evans, Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani

Netherlands (Playing XI): Vikramjit Singh, Max ODowd, Tom Cooper, Colin Ackermann, Musa Ahmed, Scott Edwards(w/c), Teja Nidamanuru, Shariz Ahmad, Paul van Meekeren, Fred Klaassen, Ryan Klein
 
Not sure if 250 type score will be enough vs NED

Sikandar Raza duck for his country.

ZIM 234/7 (42.2) CRR:
 
Zimbabwe - 271-all out.
Netherlands - 170/2 (34.3 overs).

Netherlands have a good chance to win again.
 
Very close win!

ZIM 271 (49.2)

NED 270 (50)

Zimbabwe won by 1 run
 
What a series this is turning out to be, two absolutely thrilling games.

Those who think ODIs are dying need to watch this edge of the seat stuff!!!

Madhevere took a hatrick to turn the game upside down and then a late blitz by the Dutch meant we were in for another last ball finish.
 
MenInG said:
Very close win!

ZIM 271 (49.2)

NED 270 (50)

Zimbabwe won by 1 run
Click to expand...

Off-spinner Wessly Madhevere turned the second ODI between Zimbabwe and Netherlands on its head, by picking up a hat-trick in the 43rd over.

Zimbabwe had been bowled out for 271 in 49.2 overs, but like with the first ODI, drama unfolded in the second innings. The backbone of Zimbabwe's happened to be a 104-run stand between Sean Williams (77) and Clive Madande (52). For Netherlands, Shariz Ahmad starred with 5/43, his first five-for in ODI cricket.

At one stage, Netherlands were cruising towards the target of 272, with Tom Cooper (74) and Max O’Dowd (81) going great guns. However, a run-out sent Cooper packing in the 33rd over, and Sikandar Raza accounted for O’Dowd in the 41st over.

Still at the start of the 44th over, the equation was in favour of Netherlands, as the tourists needed 59 runs from 42 balls with seven wickets in hand.

Madhevere, however, changed the course of the game with the first three balls of his over.

Colin Ackermann was stumped by Madande, Teja Nidamanuru was bowled off the very next ball and Paul van Meekeren suffered the same fate off the third delivery.

This meant that Madhevere had become just the third Zimbabwean to achieve an ODI hat-trick, and Netherlands had slipped from 213/3 to 213/6.

Eddo Brandes and Prosper Utseya are the only other Zimbabwe players with an ODI hat-trick.

The hat-trick proved crucial as Zimbabwe won a thrilling contest by just one run.

ICC
 
Zimbabwe vs Netherlands, 3rd ODI

Netherlands have won the toss and have opted to bat

Craig Ervine: The wicket held up pretty nicely, there will be turn later on but should be a good wicket. There's a lot of options, we used as many as we can in the last game, trying to rotate as much as we can. Chasing 230 would be ideal. Two changes for us.

Scott Edwards: We are gonna have a bat first. We were expecting a new wicket but happy days to play on an used wicket. It's an used wicket, not sure of what a par score would be. We were probably ahead of the game most of the game and there was a 5-over game when we weren't good enough. Two changes for us.

Teams:
Netherlands (Playing XI): Vikramjit Singh, Max ODowd, Wesley Barresi, Musa Ahmed, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards(w/c), Teja Nidamanuru, Paul van Meekeren, Shariz Ahmad, Fred Klaassen, Aryan Dutt

Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Craig Ervine(c), Wessly Madhevere, Gary Ballance, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Clive Madande(w), Brandon Mavuta, Richard Ngarava, Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani
 
Assertive Zimbabwe secure series with easy win in the final ODI

In stark contrast to rest of the series, the final ODI between Zimbabwe and Netherlands turned out to be a one-sided affair.

Though both sides are out of contention from direct qualification for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, this series played an important role in giving them some game time in these conditions before the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023. The Qualifier will be played from 18 June to 9 July in Zimbabwe.

Netherlands and Zimbabwe will be among the 10 teams battling for two World Cup spots at the Qualifier.

Netherlands won the toss and chose to bat first at Harare. Despite steady contributions from their top-order batters, the Dutch innings was stifled by regular fall of wickets. Zimbabwe’s part-time spinners, Sean Williams (3/41) and Sikandar Raza (2/55), did the maximum damage as Netherlands could only reach 231/9 at the end of their allotted overs.

In response, the Chevrons got off to a positive start. The opening pair of skipper Craig Ervine (44) and Wessly Madhevere (50) were proactive, adding 96 for the first wicket.

After losing both of them to Shariz Ahmad, Zimbabwe banked on the experience of Sean Williams (43) and Gary Ballance (64*) to move ahead in the game. Their patient stand of 96 runs helped the hosts close in on an easy win. They won by seven wickets with 50 balls to spare.

This 2-1 series win helped Zimbabwe finish the Super League at 12th place, with 65 points in their kitty.

In stark contrast to the third ODI, the first two games of the three match ODI series were closely contested thrillers. Whenever a side went slightly ahead in the game, the opponents fought back to bring it to parity.

The first ODI had Netherlands bowlers all over the Zimbabwe batting, reducing them to 98/7, before Clive Madande (74) pulled off a rescue act with help from lower-order batters. The late surge helped Chevrons set a target of 250.

Netherlands too struggled with the bat, and were 64/5 at one stage. However, the 28-year-old Teja Nidamanuru (110*) guided the Dutch fightback with a scintillating century, which came off merely 88 balls. He got great support from Paul van Meekeren, who supplemented his bowling figures of 2/50 with a fiery 21* from nine balls with the bat, as the tourists crossed the line with one ball to spare.

The shock of this defeat inspired Zimbabwe to put up a better show in the second game.

Batting first yet again, Zimbabwe's top-order gave them a decent start before leg-spinner Shariz Ahmad struck thrice to leave them at 120/5. Hereafter, Williams (77) and Madande (52) put up a 104-run stand to guide the hosts towards 271.

The Dutch top-order put up a solid show adding 166 runs for the first two wickets. The match was within their grasp, with only 76 runs needed off the last 60 balls. However, a hat-trick from off-spinning all-rounder Madhevere in the 44th over, turned the game in Zimbabwe’s favour.

But the Netherlands lower-order wasn’t done and kept chipping away at the target. Eventually, they needed 19 off the last over. Ryan Klein and Fred Klaassen nearly got them through, bringing the equation down to four off one, but Klein was run out while going for the third run.

Zimbabwe won by one run.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/3121193
 
Yet another series win for Zimbabwe under Dave Houghton, and if you've watched any of the games you can see a packed Harare Sports club which is so good to see.

Zimbabwe are definitely one of the contenders to make the cut at the World Cup Qualifiers in June. That competition will be brutal.
 
Clinical performance from Zimbabwe in the 3rd ODI (after being ordinary in the first 2 games).

sam_ahm said:
Yet another series win for Zimbabwe under Dave Houghton, and if you've watched any of the games you can see a packed Harare Sports club which is so good to see.

Zimbabwe are definitely one of the contenders to make the cut at the World Cup Qualifiers in June. That competition will be brutal.
Click to expand...

To be fair, Netherlands botched it up in 2nd ODI. It should've been 2-1 to Netherlands.
 
6th OneDayer - 150 by Craig Ervine in just 130 balls - against Pakistan Shaheens.
 
Zimbabwe have announced their squad for the World Cup Qualifiers.

That's a pretty good squad.

==

Hosts Zimbabwe have named a 15-member squad for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier, starting June 18.

The hosts have opted to name a side full of experienced internationals, with wicketkeeper-batter Joylord Gumbie being the only uncapped member in the squad.

They will have all the big names available at their disposal in their bid to qualify for the tournament later in the year in India, with Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Sean Williams and skipper Craig Ervine all selected.

Quicks Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava will lead the pace attack for the hosts and will be complemented by Wellington Masakadza.

Former champions in opposing groups as World Cup Qualifier fixtures are released
Other regulars like Bradley Evans, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe and Innocent Kaia are also included in the 15-member squad.

The hosts have been included in Group A and will open up their tournament against Nepal on June 18. They will then face off against the Netherlands and West Indies before ending their group-stage commitments against the USA on June 26.

The top three teams from both groups will qualify for the Super Six, with the two finalists progressing to the showpiece tournament scheduled to be held later in the year in India.

Zimbabwe squad: Ryan Burl, Tendai Chatara, Craig Ervine, Bradley Evans, Joylord Gumbie, Luke Jongwe, Innocent Kaia, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
'Awful' performance a concern as Zimbabwe make poor start in bid for T20 World Cup qualification

imbabwe coach Dave Houghton has labelled his side's start to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier Africa Final 2023 as 'embarrassing' and urged his players to try and put the performance behind them quickly and return to winning ways.

Houghton's charges were among the fancied teams to finish in the top two places in the standings and snatch one of the two remaining places in next year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup, but their quest to do so started miserably as they were soundly beaten by hosts Namibia by seven wickets on Wednesday.

Zimbabwe managed to muster just 132/8 with the bat after they won the toss on a good wicket for batting in Windhoek, but Namibia's strong batting line-up - led admirably by a magnificent 89 from opener Nikolaas Davin - chased down that modest victory target with more than five overs to spare much to the chagrin of Houghton.

The former Zimbabwe batter said the performance was 'embarrassingly bad' and could find no reason why his men played so poorly during the fixture.

“I have just spent quite a bit of time in the changeroom with the team after that game and, when you ask what went wrong, as far as I am concerned, we got everything wrong,” Houghton said.

“We were awful today, embarrassingly bad. I think it’s probably one of the worst games that I have ever been associated with in a Zimbabwean jersey.

“Why it happens, I have absolutely no idea. We train hard, we train with specifics. The guys worked really hard, they had enough energy coming into this game, but we batted poorly and followed that up by bowling poorly and our fielding was average.”

Zimbabwe have little time to lick their wounds, with their next clash at the tournament coming against Tanzania at the United Cricket Ground in Windhoek on Thursday.

With just two spots at next year's 20-over showcase in the West Indies and USA up for grabs at the qualifier event, Houghton now believes his side needs to win all five of their remaining matches to have any chance of progressing.

“It’s a terrible start to this tournament, but we do know we’ve got to win the next five games and still qualify,” Houghton said.

“That’s important for us, but not my best day and certainly not my happiest day. In fact, I feel like we should be all out here apologising to our fans.”

Houghton stressed the importance of his players putting the loss to Namibia behind them quickly and concentrating on the remaining matches.

“We can’t dwell on these losses. It’s important they recognise how bad a loss that was – which is what I have just given them in the changeroom – but it is a quick turnaround and that’s a good thing we can put it all right tomorrow afternoon and get ourselves on the board with a win and then start our march towards qualifying,” he said.

“We can’t sort of rest on our laurels and think we are a bigger side than the rest. We’ve got to turn up and play proper cricket. We didn’t do it today.”

In other matches on Wednesday, Kenya defeated Rwanda by 17 runs and Uganda registered an eight-wicket triumph over Tanzania.

ICC
​
 
Zimbabwe cricket has been poor in recent times as they failed to qualify for the World Cup. Now with T20 World Cup qualification on the line, their team is going nowhere with such performance.
 
They lost to Namibia yesterday.

They now have to win all other games to qualify. If they drop one more game, things can get tricky.

Kenya-Zimbabwe could be decisive.
 
Zimbabwe beat Tanzania by 9 wickets ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Region Qualifier.
 
2024 World T20 Africa Qualifiers

Uganda have beaten Zimbabwe!

ZIM - 136/7
Uganda - 138/5 (19.1 overs)

Uganda won by 5 wickets.

Zimbabwe now may not qualify for World Cup. Kenya and Namibia are looking good to qualify.
 
Unfortunate . Didn’t see this coming . Don’t think they qualify . RIP Zimbabwe cricket
 
Asif321 said:
Unfortunate . Didn’t see this coming . Don’t think they qualify . RIP Zimbabwe cricket
Click to expand...

Uganda is not even among top 5 associates. Comfortably behind Netherlands, Scotland, Nepal, Oman, UAE, and Namibia.

Very surprised at this massive upset. But, then again, this is the nature of T20.
 
2024 World T20 Africa Qualifiers

Zimbabwe have beaten Rwanda by 144 runs.

Zimbabwe - 215/4 (20)
Rwanda - 71 All Out (18.4)

Zimbabwe now have 4 points after 4 matches played.
 
Zimbabwe should ask PCB for a goodwill tour during IPL time, will be perfect for RizBar & Co. to get in groove
 
Raza excellence keeps Zimbabwe alive; Namibia and Uganda in top 2

Namibia and Zimbabwe secured crucial wins against Kenya and Rwanda respectively in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Region Qualifier 2023.

Namibia won by 6 wickets against Kenya

Disciplined Namibia bowling ensured that Kenya found the going tough in early overs. After losing Rushabhvardhan Patel (1), Collins Obuya (15), and Pushkar Sharma (5) cheaply, Irfan Karim (43*) and Sachin Bhudia (18) came together to stabilise the innings. But lacking a late charge, the innings finished at 104/6.

fter adding 20 runs for the first wicket, Michael van Lingen was the first wicket to fall having edged one behind the wicket. Soon, Namibia lost three more wickets in a space of 27 runs. But before Kenya could sense a way back in, Jan Frylinck (57*) and JJ Smit (14*) put for a brisk match-winning stand of 59 runs.

With this win, Namibia sit at the top of the Africa Region Qualifier points table. They have four wins from four contests and have eight points to their name.

Zimbabwe won by 144 runs against Rwanda

After a shocking defeat to Uganda had severely challenged their T20 World Cup aspirations, the Chevrons put up their best show against Rwanda to keep their chances alive.

Sikandar Raza led the charge with a special performance. Leading from the front, the skipper opened the batting and hit a quick-fire 58 from 36. His knock included six fours and four sixes. His partner, Tadiwanashe Marumani, too, let it loose and added 50 from 31 balls with the help of three fours and three sixes. Quick-fire contributions from Ryan Burl (44* from 21) and Luke Jongwe (17* from 4) in the death overs, helped Zimbabwe to 215/4.

A spirited display with the ball ensured that the Rwanda chase never took off. While Richard Ngrava (3/11), and Blessing Muzarabani (1/10) did early damage, Ryan Burl (2/7) hit the middle-order hard.

It was that man, Raza, who finished once more for Zimbabwe. He wiped off the tail with a stylish hat-trick in the 19th over to finish with 3/3.

Despite this win, Zimbabwe sit with only four points on the table and needs other results to fall their way in order to qualify.

Uganda won by 9 wickets against Nigeria

Uganda solidified their historic triumph against Zimbabwe on 26 November by securing a decisive victory over Nigeria, dispelling any notion of luck.

Batting first, Nigeria failed to hit triple-digital scores as they were bowled out for 99 runs. Five of their top six batters managed to get starts but failed to convert it into a big score.

Uganda had an early hiccup when they lost opener Simon Ssesazi in the fourth over but Ronak Patel (60*) and Roger Mukasa (28*) ensured there were no more scares. They stitched an unbeaten 77-run stand to take their team home by nine wickets with 15 balls to spare.

The win puts Uganda in the second spot as they leapfrog Kenya on net run rate. They have two more matches to go and if they can hold on to their top two spot, Uganda will have punched their tickets for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
​
ICC
 
Zimbabwe beat Nigeria by 6 wickets to keep the hopes alive to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2024.

MATCH SUMMARY:

Nigeria 110/8 (20)
Zimbabwe 111/4 (14)

Sikandar Raza was declared player of the match for his all-round performance. He took 2 wickets and scored 65 runs.
 
hassan918 said:
Zimbabwe beat Nigeria by 6 wickets to keep the hopes alive to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2024.

MATCH SUMMARY:

Nigeria 110/8 (20)
Zimbabwe 111/4 (14)

Sikandar Raza was declared player of the match for his all-round performance. He took 2 wickets and scored 65 runs.
Click to expand...
They are virtually out now with Uganda beating Kenya today
 
Seems Uganda will create history today . Zimbabwe will only go backward from here
 
Zimbabwe are the only Full Member nation who won't be at the expanded 20-team Men's T20 World Cup in 2024.
 
History has been made by Uganda. They are now officially in 2024 World T20.

Zimbabwe are out.

Big upset.
 
As per reports, Dave Houghton has resigned as head coach of Zimbabwe cricket team following their failure to qualify for ICC T20I World Cup 2024.
 
The Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) Board has accepted Dave Houghton’s resignation from his position as Head Coach of the Zimbabwe Senior Men’s National Team with immediate effect.

He will, however, remain with ZC as the Board looks to re-assign him to a new role within the organisation.

In his resignation letter, which he tendered on the eve of Wednesday’s Board meeting to review Zimbabwe’s failure to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 after losing to Namibia and Uganda at the recent regional qualifying tournament, Houghton said he had “lost the changeroom” after 18 months in charge and felt that a “new voice” was needed to take the team forward.

This also followed the team’s loss in a limited-overs series against Ireland over the past fortnight.

After the Board accepted his resignation, ZC Chairman Mr Tavengwa Mukuhlani said: “Dave will always be a legend of our game and it is with regret that he felt the changeroom needed a new voice.

“While the past few months have been disappointing as we failed to qualify for both the 50-over World Cup and the T20 World Cup, they should not obscure all the work he has done over the past year to rebuild the foundations for long-term success.

“Dave leaves the team with our sincerest thanks for his tireless efforts and we are looking forward to working with him in a different role as we seek to change our on-field fortunes.”

Commenting on the development, Houghton said: “I have always had Zimbabwe cricket at heart and, though my coaching of the national team comes to an end, I would love to be involved in other areas.

“The talent base in Zimbabwe is enormous. How we move players from talented to performing well on the international stage is a great project to be involved in.”

With Houghton gone, an interim technical team to be announced in due course will be in charge of Zimbabwe during their tour to Sri Lanka in January for a white-ball series.

During its meeting on Wednesday, the Board appointed a three-member committee chaired by Mr Lloyd Mhishi to probe the World Cup qualification failures as well as to review ZC’s cricket affairs structure.

The committee, whose other members are Mr Godfrey Nyadongo and Mr Blessing Ngondo, has been given three weeks to accomplish the tasks.

Source: Zimbabwe Cricket Board
 
Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has with immediate effect suspended two Zimbabwe international players from all cricket activities, pending a hearing, for allegedly breaching anti-doping rules.

The concerned players, Wessly Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta, both tested positive for a banned recreational drug in an out-of-competition case recorded during a recent in-house doping test.

They have been charged under the ZC Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials and will appear for a disciplinary hearing soon.

Source: Zimbabwe Cricket
 
Zimbabwe name new interim head coach for the Sri Lanka tour

Zimbabwe will have a new head coach at the helm for the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka in January.

Walter Chawaguta has been named the interim head coach of the Zimbabwe men's senior national team for the Sri Lanka tour.

This will be a second stint as head coach of Zimbabwe for Chawaguta, having previously held the post in 2008. He is currently in charge of the provincial first-class side Tuskers while also acting as a batting consultant for the Zimbabwe women's over the years.

He will be flanked by Stuart Matsikenyeri (Assistant Coach/Batting Coach), Steve Kirby (Bowling Coach), Erick Chauluka (Fielding Coach), Walter Karimanzira (Fitness and Conditioning Trainer), Amato Machikicho (Physiotherapist), Alistair Chambe (Team Doctor) and Mufaro Chiturumani (Analyst).

Major upheaval in Zimbabwe as head coach resigns
Chawaguta's appointment comes in the aftermath of the former coach Dave Houghton resigning on 20 December after Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup via the Africa Qualifier.

Two spots were up for grabs in the Africa Qualifier and Zimbabwe didn't make the cut after finishing third in the table with four wins and two defeats. The two losses came in their first three games – first against Namibia and then an upset defeat against Uganda – but Zimbabwe did rally back by winning the remaining matches.

However, Namibia and Uganda held their own and finished in the top two spots to book their berths for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.

Zimbabwe's tour of Sri Lanka begins on 6 January with a three-match ODI series followed by three T20Is. All the games will be played at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.

Source : ICC
 
Naqvi makes history with first ever triple-century

Tuskers – 128 and 143-2 in 64 overs (Nkosana Mpofu 65*, Bright Phiri 30, Brian Chari 26*; Mike Chinouya 1/34, Victor Chirwa 1/47)

Rhinos – 538-3 declared in 126.4 overs (Antum Naqvi 300*, Ben Curran 124, Tarisai Musakanda 48; Nkosana Mpofu 1/66, Mamoon ur Riaz 1/85, Tinotenda Maposa 1/86)

Day 3 – Stumps: Tuskers trail by 267 runs

History was made at Takashinga Cricket Club on Friday as Antum Naqvi of Rhinos became the first batter ever to record a triple-century for any Zimbabwean team.

He had reached 250 overnight against Tuskers, and after a late start he progressed smoothly to his 300 just before lunch, passing several landmarks on the way.

He first passed 265, which was Cephas Zhuwao’s record Logan Cup score in first-class matches, achieved in 2017/18.

Next to go was Ray Gripper’s 279 not out, scored in the South African Currie Cup competition against Orange Free State in 1967/68, which was until now the highest individual score ever made for any Zimbabwean team.

Finally, there was Brian Davison’s 299, scored for Midlands against Matabeleland in 1973/74 in the Logan Cup before it became a first-class competition.

Graeme Hick and Murray Goodwin have both recorded triple-centuries in first-class cricket in county cricket in England.

The first-class record score by any batter on Zimbabwean soil remains the 306 scored by Mark Richardson for the New Zealanders against Zimbabwe A at Kwekwe in 2000/01.

The declaration came at lunch at 538 for three wickets, with Remembrance Nyathi at the other end, having scored a supportive 36 not out of his unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 190 with Naqvi.

Naqvi himself faced 295 balls, batted for 444 minutes and hit 10 sixes and 30 fours.

Tuskers had to bat again in their second innings with a deficit of 410.

So far they have put up a fair fight, closing the day on 143 for two wickets, with Nkosana Mpofu on 65 and Brian Chari 26, both not out.
​
Mega Market Mountaineers – 237 and 578-8 declared in 98 overs (Dion Myers 204*, Timycen Maruma 110, Kevin Kasuza 101; Alex Russell 4/192, Nick Welch 1/41, Hamza Sajjad 1/59)

Eagles – 336 and 6-0 in 2.3 overs (Larvet Masunda 5*, Matthew Welch 1*)

Day 3 – Stumps: Eagles need 474 runs

There was another big individual score in the Logan Cup match at Old Hararians Sports Club, where Dion Myers scored a double-century for Mega Market Mountaineers against Eagles on Friday.

He was on 65 when he resumed his innings at the start of the day, with his team’s total 236 for two wickets, while Timycen Maruma had 50.

By the time Maruma was finally dismissed for 110, scored off 97 balls with four sixes and 12 fours, their partnership had added 179.

PJ Moor played a more restrained innings than he has often done, making 33 off 52 balls and giving further support to Myers in their partnership of 102.

The later batters all hit out enterprisingly, no doubt with a declaration in view, as Myers continued to defy the bowlers and pile on the runs.

Unusually, all 10 men who batted in this innings reached double figures or more, and Victor Nyauchi was in with Myers when he reached his 200, followed by the declaration.

Myers was not out with 204, scored off 270 balls with two sixes and 26 fours, and the total was 578 for eight wickets.

Alex Russell took four wickets in this innings, giving him 10 in the match, but he paid a heavy price for them in this innings, when he was hit for 192 runs in 29 overs.

This left Eagles, who had led by 99 runs on the first innings, the huge target of 480 runs to win the match

Their opening batters, Larvet Masunda and Matthew Welch, scored six runs between them in 2.3 overs before a shower of rain ended play for the day.

Zimbabwe Cricket

zimcricket.org zimcricket.org
 
Zimbabwe will be the sole full member of the International Cricket Council to miss this year's tournament after a shock defeat to Uganda during the qualifiers. Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said in the press conference ahead of the first T20I against Sri Lanka:

"It's really heartbreaking not just for me and cricketers but for the whole nation as well."

"We are desperately trying to turn things around. I think you needed that desperation to turn things around."

"Having said that, we have learned a lot of lessons and hopefully we will make Zimbabwe cricket great again."
 
Things are looking worse by the day for Zimbabwe cricket. Last 7-8 months have been a disaster and at the moment none of the youngsters are looking ready to take over.

At the moment, Zimbabwe are behind top associates like Netherlands, Scotland, while UAE, Namibia, Oman and Nepal are probably at par. Zimbabwe might lose out to Namibia as the second best African cricketing nation unless something incredible happens.

Antum Naqvi is not yet eligible to represent Zimbabwe but even if ge does, I'm not sure how can he alone can turn the fortunes for this side. They need at least 4-5 young players to come through, other wise the picture here looks grim atm.
 
sam_ahm said:
Things are looking worse by the day for Zimbabwe cricket. Last 7-8 months have been a disaster and at the moment none of the youngsters are looking ready to take over.

At the moment, Zimbabwe are behind top associates like Netherlands, Scotland, while UAE, Namibia, Oman and Nepal are probably at par. Zimbabwe might lose out to Namibia as the second best African cricketing nation unless something incredible happens.

Antum Naqvi is not yet eligible to represent Zimbabwe but even if ge does, I'm not sure how can he alone can turn the fortunes for this side. They need at least 4-5 young players to come through, other wise the picture here looks grim atm.
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They were looking so good though, with some impressive achievements such as making the second group stage in 2022 T20WC, and winning an ODI match vs Australia.

It was a shame they missed out on 2023 WC qualification, they had a really good team with in form players.

I haven't followed ever since then, but is situation that bad?
 
The decline of Zimbabwe cricket is so amazing but shocking that they lost to Uganda and failed to qualify for another ICC event. Zimbabwe was the team that gave nightmare to some top teams like Pakistan and India but look where they are now. Looks like they will soon lose their membership and will become an associate team.
 
Bilal Ahmad15 said:
They were looking so good though, with some impressive achievements such as making the second group stage in 2022 T20WC, and winning an ODI match vs Australia.

It was a shame they missed out on 2023 WC qualification, they had a really good team with in form players.

I haven't followed ever since then, but is situation that bad?
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They need more youngsters to come through mate. Even now they are relying on Raza, Ervine and Williams most of the time, at least with the bat.

In Ngarava and Muzarabani they've got two very decent pace bowlers but that is just about it as of now. They need more players, esp black players to cone through.

They continue to face talent drain as well, a lot of their good players, esp the white ones, opt for a career in county cricket. It is only if Zimbabwe cricket does well then may be we will see some of them coming back.

We have to see if Antum Naqvi gets eligible to play for Zimbabwe, and if some of their young U19 players stick around, that will pretty much determine where the team is headed.
 
ZC to restructure, hire new coaches after Board accepts findings

The Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) Board met on Saturday and adopted the comprehensive report presented by a Committee of Inquiry that was established to probe Zimbabwe’s World Cup qualification failures as well as to review ZC’s cricket affairs structure.

The three-member Committee, chaired by Mr Lloyd Mhishi, presented its report to the Board after gathering input from various stakeholders, both internal and external. After deliberating on the findings, the Board resolved to adopt the report in its entirety and to immediately implement the Committee’s recommendations, key among them:

-To restructure ZC’s Cricket Affairs Department and its personnel;

-To restructure ZC’s domestic and development pathway;

-To advertise to fill the Head Coach positions for the Zimbabwe Senior Men’s National Team and the Zimbabwe Under-19 Men’s National Team;

-To restructure the coaching set-up at first-class level;

-To establish a National Academy; and
to set up indoor training facilities in all the five first-class provinces.

Management was tasked to look at all the recommendations made by the Mhishi Committee and present an action plan to the Board within four weeks.

During the meeting, the Board also confirmed Walter Chawaguta as the substantive Head Coach of the Zimbabwe Senior Women’s National Team, while Prosper Utseya’s resignation from his position as Head Coach of the Zimbabwe Under-19 Men’s National Team was accepted.

Zimbabwe Cricket
 
Masakadza steps down from Director of Cricket role

Hamilton Masakadza is leaving his role as Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC)’s Director of Cricket after he resigned from the position this week. He cited Zimbabwe’s failure to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 as the main reason for his decision to step down.

“This decision has come about after careful consideration of the successes and failures of our cricket and my responsibilities,” Masakadza, a former Zimbabwe captain who assumed the Director of Cricket role soon after retiring from all forms of cricket in October 2019, said in his resignation letter.

“As much as there has been a lot of progress in my tenure, the fact remains that we are the only Full Member nation not participating at the next T20 World Cup after our shock loss to Uganda. This was indeed one of the lowest points of my career and I take full responsibility as Director of Cricket.”

Commenting on the decision, ZC Managing Director Givemore Makoni said: “Hamilton’s status as a cricket legend is not in doubt and we are indebted to him for his immense contributions to the sport, on and off the field.

“After calling time on his playing career, he gave his all trying to ensure ZC has the foundations in place to identify, develop and prepare the next generation of players. As he leaves his current role, as an organization, we take great satisfaction in knowing that, despite some crucial results not going our way, Zimbabwe teams and our cricket, in general, have made significant progress under his watch.

“I hope the game will continue benefiting from his knowledge and expertise.”

The highlights during Masakadza’s four-year tenure as Director of Cricket include Zimbabwe’s qualifying for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia where they reached the Super 12 stage against all odds. Under his guidance, ZC introduced several new tournaments aimed at uplifting the standard of the game in the country, among them the National Premier League and the Zim Afro T10 league for men as well as two women’s provincial competitions, the Fifty50 Challenge and the Women’ T20 Cup.

Masakadza also oversaw the successful staging of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 in Zimbabwe. He leaves at a time when he was already working on the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 that the country will co-host and he is keen to remain involved to help deliver the events or to continue serving ZC in another capacity.

“This decision was a very difficult one to make, and I remain fully committed to Zimbabwe Cricket and would very much be interested in serving in a different capacity as the organization looks forward to hosting the Men’s Under-19 World Cup in 2026 and the Men’s 50-over World Cup in 2027,” Masakadza said.
 
Hamilton Masakadza resigns as Zimbabwe Director of Cricket

Hamilton Masakadza stepped down from his role after Zimbabwe’s failure to qualify for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Former Zimbabwe star Hamilton Masakadza will leave his position as Director of Cricket this week, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) confirmed on Thursday, 7 March.

Masakadza decided to move away from the role after Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies.

The Chevrons finished third in the Africa Qualifier, suffering a defeat to Namibia and an upset loss against Uganda along the way. Ultimately, Namibia and Uganda emerged as the qualifying teams.

Masakadza, who took over as Director of Cricket in 2019 after retiring from all formats, said: “This decision has come about after careful consideration of the successes and failures of our cricket and my responsibilities.

“As much as there has been a lot of progress in my tenure, the fact remains that we are the only Full Member nation not participating in the next T20 World Cup after our shock loss to Uganda.

“This was indeed one of the lowest points of my career and I take full responsibility as Director of Cricket.”

During Masakadza’s four-year tenure as Director of Cricket, Zimbabwe qualified for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, where they reached the Super 12 stage.

Zimbabwe also hosted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023.

Though he resigned from the role, Masakadza remains keen to be involved in the staging of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, both of which Zimbabwe will co-host.

“This decision was a very difficult one to make and I remain fully committed to Zimbabwe Cricket and would very much be interested in serving in a different capacity as the organisation looks forward to hosting the Men’s U19 World Cup in 2026 and the Men’s 50-over World Cup in 2027,” Masakadza said.

ICC
 
Kenya's World Cup legend calls time on a 23-year old international career

Kenya all-rounder Collins Obuya, who played a starring role in their dream ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2003 campaign, has retired.

Obuya, 42, who had made his international debut back in 2001 against the West Indies, called it a day after featuring in his side's 106-run defeat against Uganda in the third-place play-off of the African Games. A prolific performer to the last, he was Kenya's leading run-getter in the tournament, with 184 runs from five innings.

"I have decided to retire from the game after 23 years. It’s been a big honour playing for Kenya," Obuya stated after the game.

"I want to thank everyone, my teammates and my family who have been there for me in good times and hard times. It has been a lovely career for me, to have been able to play that long. I am very proud of my career, but it's time to concentrate on my coaching back home and do what good I can for cricket."

Though Obuya contributed primarily with the willow in the later stages of his career, his leg-spin was an important weapon in the arsenal of the Kenyan side in his younger days. This showed at its best in the 2003 Cricket World Cup, where his 5/24 helped the African side upend a much stronger Sri Lanka team. With wickets of Aravinda de Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, and Mahela Jayawardene in the game, he helped Kenya to a 53-run win.

Crucial points from this win helped Kenya reach the Super Six stage of the tournament, and eventually the semi-finals, becoming the only non-Test playing nation to have achieved the feat.

Obuya's best ODI knock came against Australia in the 2011World Cup, an unbeaten 98 that unfortunately ended up in a losing cause. Following Kenya's dismal 2011 World Cup campaign, Obuya replaced Jimmy Kamande as their captain. He resigned two years later in 2013 after the team failed to qualify for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2014.

With 2044 ODI runs, Obuya is one of the four Kenya players to have scored over 2000 runs in the format, before they were stripped of ODI status. And his 1794 T20I runs are the most by any Kenya batter. He also picked up 60 international wickets.

His brothers Kennedy Obuya and David Obuya also played at the international level for Kenya.

ICC
 
Former top-class cricketer cheats death after he is attacked by a leopard and saved by his loyal dog... years after he had a close encounter with a crocodile

A former top class cricketer has cheated death again after being attacked by leopard – years after he woke to find an eight foot long crocodile hiding under his bed.

Guy Whittall, 51, needed emergency surgery after being badly mauled by the big cat while out with his trusted dog Chikara, who was also bitten as he tired to save him.

Guy - best remembered for his unbeaten 1997 double century of 203 not out against New Zealand - was attacked while trekking through the conservancy he runs at Humani, Zimbabwe.

He runs the safari business - based at the junction of the Turgwe and Save rivers in the south eats of the country - with his father Guy and where he woke one morning to find a sleeping crocodile under his bed.

Guy's wife posted dramatic images of the latest attack on social media, showing Guy being treated in the bush by medics with bandages on his head, before he was airlifted to Milton Park Hospital in the capital Harare.

Hannah Stooks-Whittall added he had 'lost a lot of blood' but was saved by 'faithful K9 Chikara' who 'was mauled by the leopard getting the cat of Guy'.

A later picture showed Guy in hospital giving a thumbs up with his head and hands still bandaged and Hannah wrote he had 'come out of theatre' with his wounds 'cleaned and restitched'.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Hannah said: 'He really is one lucky man, first he had the crocodile and now the leopard, he really is the cat with nine lives.

'He was so fortunate that Chikara was there to help him and get the leopard off him otherwise who knows how it might have ended.

'We are so grateful to him, and Chikara going to get some extra chicken as a treat. He's got to see the vet as he has a few scratches and but he should be ok, he's in better shape than Guy.

'Fortunately, Guy is up in bed and talking, he's telling anyone who will listen how he wrestled with a leopard but we all know it was down to Chikara.'

It is not the first time that Guy has had a brush with a wild animal - in 2013 he hit the headlines after pictures emerged of a 300lbs crocodile sleeping under his bed, while he was still in it.

The eight foot animal had sneaked into his lodge and spent the entire night lying quietly, just fractions beneath an oblivious Guy.

The beast - a Nile crocodile - had managed to stay hidden for more than eight hours overnight.

The following morning Guy had even perched on the edge of his bed, with his feet dangling over the edge, just inches from the crocodile's face, as he organised his day.

But he remained oblivious to his uninvited guest and was only alerted when he was enjoying some breakfast in the kitchen and heard the petrified screams of a housemaid.

At the time he said: 'The really disconcerting thing about the whole episode is the fact that I was sitting on the edge of the bed that morning, bare foot and just centimetres away from the croc.

'Crocodiles are experts at hiding, that's why they have survived on Earth for so long and why they are the ultimate killers in water.

'They know how to keep quiet and go unnoticed, it's in their nature.

'The crocodile came from the Turgwe River which is a couple of kilometres from the house.

'They often wander about the bush especially when it's cold and raining. I think he liked it under the bed because it was warm.'

He was forced to call in some of his co-workers who helped remove the crocodile from its new lair and release him back into a nearby dam.

Guy said: 'Of course he resisted being roped and hauled out from under the bed, that's only natural.

'Catching and securing a croc of any size on land though is a fairly straight forward affair and we are experienced in that.

'The only real danger is getting bitten because it can't drown you.

'The most important thing is to get its snout roped and secured and then it's just a matter of restraining it and covering its eyes, to calm it down.

'Bigger crocs require more manpower obviously though. When roped they thrash around frantically and are extremely powerful. 'I just remember thinking 'goodness gracious, that's one for the books'.

SOURCE: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...pard-saved-dog-close-encounter-crocodile.html
 
Zimbabwe Cricket has cleared Wessly Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta to return to competitive cricket after they completed their four-month suspensions for drug use. The ban was imposed after the two tested positive for a recreational drug during an in-house dope test in December.
 
Zimbabwe have missed qualification for four ICC events since 2019.

Never expected such a downfall of a Test playing nation.
 
The Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) Board has named South African Justin Sammons as Head Coach of the Zimbabwe Senior Men’s National team with immediate effect

He will be joined by former Zimbabwe international Dion Ebrahim who is coming in as Assistant Coach.

Sammons, who over the years has done sterling work with South Africa’s high performance programme as well as with several domestic sides, was part of the Proteas technical team as batting consultant between 2021 and 2023.

ZC Chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said: “We are delighted to confirm Justin as Head Coach of the Zimbabwe Senior Men’s National Team.

“He brings a wealth of coaching experience and a reputation of identifying, nurturing and developing some of the best young talent in South Africa.

“His hard-working and passionate approach as well as sense of values on and off the pitch make him the ideal person to take us forward.”

An elated Sammons said: “It is an absolute privilege to be appointed as the Zimbabwe Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach.

“I look forward to the road ahead and I am excited to start working with this talented group of players.”

His assistant, Ebrahim, represented Zimbabwe in 29 Tests and 82 one-day internationals before he later pursued a coaching career in New Zealand where has been involved at the highest level with the Black Caps.

The rest of the technical staff for the senior men’s side will be appointed in consultation with Sammons.

ZC has also announced former Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura as Head Coach of the Zimbabwe Under-19 Men’s National Team.

Rangarirai Norbert Manyande, who played first-class cricket in Zimbabwe before he went on to feature for Namibia, was named as his Assistant and Batting Coach, while former South Africa star Paul Adams will be the Bowling Coach.

These appointments, which followed a rigorous recruitment process, were confirmed during a ZC Board meeting held this Wednesday.

Source: Zimbabwe Cricket Board
 
As per reports:

Zimbabwe building stadium near scenic Victoria Falls

Emmerson Mnangagwa, the President of Zimbabwe, recently laid the foundation stone for an ambitious cricket stadium near Victoria Falls, a tourist hotspot in the country. Once completed, the stadium will arguably become one of the most picturesque cricket venues in the world.

To be named the Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium, the 10,000-seater ground will host global events in 2026 and 2027. Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) will co-host the Under-19 World Cup in 2026 with Namibia, while South Africa will join the two countries to stage the prestigious 2027 World Cup.

The Zimbabwean government has allocated 10 hectares of land for the project which, reportedly, will be funded by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The construction is expected to cost between $5 and $10 million, although the ICC has said that no extra funding will be provided for any specific project. The Victoria Falls Stadium will be a multi-sport facility that will reportedly see, rugby, hockey and netball also played there.
 

CRICKETER ARRESTED …faces attempted murder charge​


Tarisai Musakanda (29) had a misunderstanding with his wife Tinodiwanashe Makunike, popularly known as Mai Dewei.

National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest saying Tarisai Musakanda is facing attempted murder charges.

Musakanda has played five Tests, 16 ODIs and 12 T20Is for Zimbabwe while he last played international cricket nearly two years ago.

It is alleged that Mai Dewei had engaged two men to erect a shelter for her vending site.

The two visited Mai Dewei to collect their money before they clashed with Musakanda.

It is alleged that Musakanda used a kitchen knife to stab Mai Dewei and she sustained injuries on her two hands and her back.

One of their neighbours told H-Metro that the incident took place at around 3 am yesterday.

“We were awakened by their noise, Mai Dewei shouting for help and we rushed there. Upon arriving, Musakanda was holding a knife and his wife trying to block and she got injured.

“When we restrained them, Mai Dewei had been stabbed on her back and we rushed her to the hospital.

“Musakanda was arrested and is detained at Kwekwe Central Police Station.

“The two have been at each other’s throat several times and Musakanda once beat her up with a bet stick,” said the neighbour.

In 2022, Musakanda was charged with culpable homicide, and later cleared for causing the death of former tennis player Gwinyai Chingoka.

www.hmetro.co.zw

CRICKETER ARRESTED …faces attempted murder charge - H-Metro

Arron Nyamayaro A cricket player was yesterday arrested for stabbing his wife in Kwekwe. Tarisai Musakanda (29) had a misunderstanding with his wife Tinodiwanashe Makunike, popularly known as Mai Dewei.…
www.hmetro.co.zw www.hmetro.co.zw
 
Why Zimbabwe must qualify through Africa Sub-Regional for 2026 T20 World Cup - Reason Explained

Anticipation and expectations are always high when it comes to the teams battling each other for World Cup glory in the limited-overs formats. Initially, only major cricketing nations used to play in the ODI World Cup, but with the advent of T20 cricket over the years, some newbies got the opportunity to come up the ranks and show their talent to the rest of the world.

As a result, the International Cricket Council (ICC) started organizing the 20-over World Cup, as the format was shorter and hence more associate teams along with some lesser-knowns made their way to play with major teams like India, Pakistan and Australia. The T20 World Cup 2024 gave the fans a chance to witness teams like USA, and Uganda taking centre stage.

While the latter had a hard time in the tournament, the United States showed an impeccable game to cause a massive upset over Pakistan. This win in particular had a drastic effect on one of the major but struggling cricket nations, Zimbabwe. To qualify for the last T20 World Cup, they had to overcome the challenge of a qualifying event at their home.

Hence as the number of nations gradually grew in the competition, the 2026 edition of the ICC event will see 20 teams taking part in the World Cup. Notably, 12 teams have secured a direct qualification while eight more spots are still vacant to make their World Cup appearance dream come true.


www.crictracker.com

T20 World Cup 2026: How Zimbabwe’s missed opportunity leads to a tough qualifier tour

Check why Zimbabwe must take the tough challenge through Africa's Sub-Regional Qualifiers for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
www.crictracker.com www.crictracker.com
 
TIL Zimbabwe are slated to play 12 test matches in 2025. Remains to be seen how many of these they will actually play because almost all of these have not been officially scheduled yet. But I think it's great.

I don't care how one-sided these matches are or the lack of money they draw. That is of no corcern to me. Just glad to see them getting a chance to play test cricket.

One of the biggest matches for them is coming up against England in Nottingham in the summer. The first time I believe, that they will be playing England in a series since 2003.
 
Former Zimbabwe spinner and team manager Meman dies at 73

Mohammed Ahmed Meman, the former Zimbabwe offspiner and team manager, has died at the age of 73, after a period of ill health.

Meman, fondly remembered in Zimbabwe cricket as Babu, played one ODI for his country, during the 1987 World Cup against India, where he scored 19 runs.

He also represented Shropshire in England's Minor Counties Championship between 1977 and 1980. During his stint with the county, Meman made 888 runs - including two centuries - and took 55 wickets in 32 matches.

Meman served as Zimbabwe's national team manager between 1992 and 2006, guiding the side through its early years as a Test-playing nation. He later contributed as a selector.

"ZC is deeply grateful for Babu's enduring contributions to cricket in our country, both on and off the field," Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) said in a press release.

"His passion, humility and dedication will always be remembered by those who had the privilege of working with him. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his beloved wife, Aisha, and children - Iqbal, Fazila and Sadiya - as well as to his extended family, friends and all who knew and loved him."

Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/former-zimbabwe-spinner-and-team-manager-meman-dies-at-73-1493144
 
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