Zimbabwe Set to Host Sri Lanka for White-Ball Showdown in Harare This August

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has announced that the Sri Lanka men’s team will tour the country for a much-awaited white-ball series, which will be played entirely at the Harare Sports Club.

According to the schedule, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka will play two ODIs on August 29 and 31. After that, they will face each other in three T20Is on September 3, 6, and 7. The T20I matches will be important for Zimbabwe as they prepare to host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Regional Final tournament from September 19 to October 4.

This series is part of a very busy time for Zimbabwe. They are set to play South Africa in two Test matches in Bulawayo starting this weekend. After that, they will take part in a T20I tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand, followed by two Test matches against New Zealand starting on August 3.

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“We are happy to confirm Sri Lanka’s visit to Zimbabwe for what we expect to be an exciting and competitive series,” said ZC Managing Director Givemore Makoni. 

“Matches between our two countries have always given fans entertaining cricket, and this tour comes at an important time for our team as we prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup qualifying matches,” he added.

The T20I part of the series is very important for Zimbabwe, as it will help them prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Regional Final, which will be held in Zimbabwe from September 19 to October 4.

These matches against Sri Lanka come just before the T20 World Cup Africa Regional Qualifiers. Zimbabwe last played in the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2022 in Australia, where they were knocked out in the early stages. Because of poor performances in qualifying matches, Zimbabwe failed to reach the next edition of the T20 World Cup, held in the West Indies and the USA. They also missed out on the 2019 and 2023 ODI World Cups.

By not qualifying for the 2023 ODI World Cup, which took place in India, Zimbabwe also lost the chance to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Sri Lanka last visited Zimbabwe in 2023 for the ODI World Cup Qualifiers, but they haven’t played a full bilateral series there since 2016. Currently, Sri Lanka is hosting Bangladesh for a full tour that includes two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is. Zimbabwe are also expected to host Afghanistan for an all-format series later this year.