By Lawrence Trusida, Sports Editor
The Zimbabwe national cricket team, the Chevrons have arrived in Australia ahead of three One Day International matches against the hosts.
The three matches down under will be played in Far North Queensland and will not only be the first time a senior Australia men’s side has played in Townsville, but represent Australia’s first home ODI series in almost two years.
The upcoming series was initially scheduled for mid-2020 before being moved to last year, but COVID-19 restrictions became an impediment.
The series forms part of the ODI Super League that determines qualification for next year’s 50-over World Cup in India.
Zimbabwe have not been in Australia since the 2003-04 summer when they played two Tests – the first of which saw Matthew Hayden score a then world-record 380 in Perth – and featured in an ODI tri-series with India.
Their last meeting against Australia in ODI cricket saw Zimbabwe spring an upset in a 2014 tri-series played in Harare, when a Michael Clarke-captained side could only reached 209 in 50 overs – a target that was chased down with two overs to spare by the Chevrons.
Australia has named a strong squad, while Test captain Pat Cummins has been rested for the Zimbabwe matches.
The likes of David Warner, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc have all been named for the series against Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, the Lady Chevrons have regrouped for World Cup Qualifiers set for the United Arab Emirates next month.
The ladies team will leave for South Africa on Friday before proceeding to Dubai where they are hoping to seal a place for the 2023 Women’s World Cup set for South Africa.
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