Zimbabwe announce squad for 2022 T20 World Cup; Ervine returns
Zimbabwe have named a 15-man squad for the coveted T20 World Cup, commencing on October 16. Craig Ervine returns to the mix and will captain Zimbabwe in the global tournament. Tendai Chatara, Wellington Masakadza, and Milton Shumba are fit to partake in the high-octane tournament. Zimbabwe, who are a part of Group B, will play their tournament opener against Ireland in Hobart. Here's more.
Presenting Zimbabwe's squad for T20 WC
Zimbabwe's squad: Craig Ervine (c), Ryan Burl, Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Bradley Evans, Luke Jongwe, Clive Madande, Wesley Madhevere, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Sean Williams. Reserves: Tanaka Chivanga, Innocent Kaia, Kevin Kasuza, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Victor Nyauchi
Zimbabwe look stronger than ever
Ervine, who missed the action since August due to a hamstring injury, will take back the captaincy reins from Regis Chakabva. Chatara returns from a collarbone fracture. Spinner Masakadza and top-order batter Shumba have recovered from the shoulder tendon and quadricep injuries respectively. Pacer Muzarabani didn't feature in a single fixture in the Australia ODIs but is fit and fine for the T20 WC.
All eyes will be on Sikandar Raza
All-rounder Sikandar Raza has had a year to remember in white-ball cricket. The middle-order batter has belted 516 T20I runs, averaging 39.69 and clobbering four fifties. Notably, he has bossed the show while striking at 152.21. As for ODIs, the right-hander has tonked 645 runs at 49.61 (100s: 3, 50s: 2). He was lately adjudged as ICC Player of the Month for August 2022.
Zimbabwe have a 9-7 win-loss record in 2022
Zimbabwe have willed themselves to seven wins in the last eight T20Is. The tally includes a clinical 2-1 win over Bangladesh in July-August. Also, Zimbabwe emerged victorious in the T20 World Cup qualifier, besting the Dutchmen by 37 runs. They already qualified for the T20 WC after beating Papua New Guinea in the semi-finals. Zimbabwe's red-hot form could do them wonders in T20 WC.
Zimbabwe's performance in T20 World Cup
Zimbabwe own a 5-7 win-loss record in the tournament. Notably, they bested Australia by five wickets in their maiden game in the 2007 World T20. Zimbabwe lost six consecutive matches before mustering wins over the Netherlands and UAE in 2014. In 2016, they downed Hong Kong and Scotland before losing to Afghanistan. Zimbabwe, however, failed to qualify for the 2021 T20 WC.
