Ashish Ranjan
Zimbabwe has named a strong squad for the ODI World Cup Qualifier in the hopes of qualifying for this year’s marquee event, which will be held in India. Notably, all the major names are available for the tournament, leaving captain Craig Ervine with a difficult task.
Blessing Muzarabani will spearhead the assault, with Richard Ngarava and Wellington Masakadza providing support. In order for Zimbabwe to make a comeback in the ODI World Cup, all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who has been in excellent form recently, will need to assume responsibility.
Meanwhile, the hosts have been placed in Group A and will play their first match against Nepal on June 18. They will then face the Netherlands (June 20) and West Indies (June 24) before facing the United States of America on June 26 to conclude their group-stage obligations.
Notably, the best three teams from each group will qualify for the super six, with the top two teams from the super six advancing to the main competition. The finals of the qualifiers will take place in Harare on July 9.
Returning to Zimbabwe, the team has the ideal combination of youth and experience. They qualified for the Super 12 in the T20 World Cup 2022, but did not advance to the semi-finals. However, they played excellent cricket and defeated Pakistan in the competition.
They recently vanquished the Netherlands in a three-match series and also defeated Australia in the third ODI of the series in 2022. Thus, they are familiar with the recipe for success, but the strain on the team will be equally intense.
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
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