Zimbabwe have made just three changes to their squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup qualifiers from the 15 that competed at the T20 World Cup last year. Top-order batter Joylord Gumbie is in line for an international debut, while Tadiwanashe Marumani and Innocent Kaia are also in the playing group. Regis Chakabva, Milton Shumba and Tony Munyonga miss out from the last time Zimbabwe were part of a global tournament.
The three new squad members have all been re-warded for recent form. Gumbie has enjoyed a suc-cessful last three months, with a century against a touring Glamorgan side and hundreds in both the first-class and List A formats against Pakistan Sha-heens, where Kaia was also among the runs. And Marumani topped the batting charts in Zimbabwe’s Pro50 Championship last summer.
The squad will be captained by Craig Ervine and includes familiar faces such as Sean Williams, Blessing Muzarabani, Luke Jognwe and Sikandar Raza. Raza has just returned from a stint with the Punjab Kings at the IPL, and has been signed by Seattle Orcas in the upcoming Major League Cricket [MLC] tournament. By the time that competition begins on July 13, Zimbabwe will know whether they have qualified for this year’s ODI World Cup in India, after missing out on the 2019 edition.
Then, Zimbabwe failed to make it out of a home qualifying tournament after losing to UAE in a rain-reduced encounter in Harare in March 2018.
This edition of the qualifiers is taking place in June-July, in the southern hemisphere winter, which is typically dry in Zimbabwe and should reduce the risk of weather-interrupted fixtures. It will also, unlike the 2018 edition, include the use of the DRS system from the Super Six stage onwards. The group stage will have a third umpire referral for run-outs at its disposal.—Agencies
