Chevrons kick off T20 World Cup qualifying campaig...

Chevrons kick off T20 World Cup qualifying campaign Against hosts Namibia

Zim Now Writer

The Zimbabwe national cricket team, the Chevrons, will commence their 2024 International Cricket Council T20 World Cup qualifying campaign today with a crucial clash against hosts Namibia in Windhoek.

The final two slots for the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled for the United States and West Indies, will be determined through the Africa Regional Qualifier, commencing this Wednesday in Namibia. Zimbabwe is among the seven nations vying for the opportunity to participate in consecutive T20 World Cups.

Hosts Namibia are optimistic about their chances of securing one of the two spots in the single-round-robin tournament, alongside Zimbabwe, who are considered the favourites to win the tournament.

The opening day of the tournament will witness Kenya taking on Rwanda at the United Ground, while Tanzania will face Uganda at Wanderers in the morning session today.

The highlight of the day will be the much-anticipated encounter between the favourites as Namibia take on Zimbabwe at Wanderers in the afternoon session. The two sides engaged in a closely contested bilateral series last month, with Namibia emerging victorious 3-2.

Zimbabwe has welcomed back several players who were unavailable for that series, most notably Blessing Muzarabani and Sean Williams, who had been grappling with fitness issues. Sikander Raza takes over the captaincy reins from Craig Ervine, but the former skipper remains an integral part of the team, providing valuable experience alongside Ryan Burl and Tendai Chatara.

Zimbabwe and Namibia secured automatic qualification for the Regional Final based on their participation in the 2022 T20 World Cup. All seven teams will face each other in the round-robin stage, with the top two teams advancing to the final on December 2, securing their places in the global tournament.