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Brandon Moyo, Brandonmalvin9@gmail.com
THE Ireland national cricket Test team is set to arrive at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo on Sunday, ahead of its highly anticipated one-off Test match against the Chevrons.
This marks Ireland’s first visit to the City of Kings and Queens since July 2023, when they participated in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers.
The team’s arrival kicks off a tour of Zimbabwe featuring one Test, three one-day internationals (ODIs), and three T20 Internationals.
The Test match will take place at Queens Sports Club from February 6 to 10, followed by the limited-overs games in Harare. The ODIs are set for February 14, 16 and 18 while the 20-over matches will be played on February 22, 23 and 25.
Ireland’s Test team, which includes former Zimbabwe international Peter Joseph Moor, has been preparing for the tour with a four-day training camp in Dubai.
The team is looking forward to getting back into action, according to Cricket Ireland national selector Andrew White.
“After a break since the series against South Africa in Abu Dhabi, it will be great to see us get back into action. Since 2007, there have been some wonderful contests against Zimbabwe and this should be no different. It’s exciting to have all three formats on this tour,” White said in a statement.
Ireland holds a slight edge over Zimbabwe in their head-to-head record, with a victory in their only previous Test match in Belfast last year.
In ODIs, Ireland has won 10 matches compared to Zimbabwe’s eight, while in T20Is, Ireland has registered eight wins to Zimbabwe’s seven.
Fans can catch the action at Queens Sports Club, with gate charges set at US$3 for the rest of the ground and US$5 for the grandstand.
The Irish Test team will hold three days of practice and rest between Monday and Wednesday before the Test match gets underway on Thursday.
Teams
Ireland Test squad
Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gavin Hoey, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, PJ Moor, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Morgan Topping, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.
Zimbabwe Test squad
Craig Ervine (Captain), Brian Bennett, Johnathan Campbell, Ben Curran, Joylord Gumbie, Trevor Gwandu, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Vincent Masekesa, Nyasha Mayavo, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri, Victor Nyauchi, Nicholas Welch, Sean William. – @brandon_malvin
