Cricket power India set to tour Zimbabwe for T20Is in July

Fresh off a stirring run at the T20 World Cup, Zimbabwe are set for a bumper home season with powerhouses India and Australia to visit for white-ball series.

Cricket Financial Journal understands that reigning two-time T20 World Cup champions India will play three T20Is in Zimbabwe, possibly in late July. The series will see the teams lock horns once again following India’s must-win 72-run victory at the T20 World Cup, a comprehensive result that lit a fuse under their campaign.

Albeit a different format, the tour will be important preparation for India ahead of the next 50-over World Cup in 2027 which will be played in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia.

India have a busy schedule after the Indian Premier League with a one-off Test and three ODIs at home against Afghanistan in June followed by a white-ball tour of England and Ireland.

It will be India’s third visit to Zimbabwe in the last four years after a trio of ODIs in 2022 and a five-match T20I series in 2024. The countries, however, have not played Test cricket against each other since September 2005. It is believed there were no discussions between the boards over adding the Test format to the upcoming tour.

Zimbabwe will also tour India for three ODIs in January, their first for a bilateral series in the country since 2002.

The homestand looms as a financial windfall for Zimbabwe, a smaller Full Member nation, with Australia set to also tour for three ODIs in September. The ODI series will end an eight-year absence for Australia in Zimbabwe. Australia were part of a T20 tri-series, also involving Pakistan, in 2018 while they last played the 50-over format there in 2014.

CFJ understands that the Zimbabwe board pushed for a one-off Test to be included in the tour, but the request was rebuffed with Australia set to play around 20 Test matches in a 12-month span starting in August. Zimbabwe and Australia have only played three Tests against each other with the last two being in October 2003 and the only one in Zimbabwe was in 1999.

Australia will journey to Zimbabwe ahead of their Test and ODI tour of South Africa. In a bid to lure the power nations, Zimbabwe powerbrokers in recent years have been actively trying to encourage countries to stopover en route to neighbouring South Africa.

There is hope that England will visit for a one-off Test match as an extension of their tour to South Africa in late 2026-early ‘27. Fast becoming a destination for major cricket events, Zimbabwe officials hope that the country will play the trio of powers in Test cricket during the next World Test Championship cycle from 2027-29.

“It is a big boost for Zimbabwean cricket every time we play India, Australia and England,” Zimbabwe Cricket chair Tavengwa Mukuhlani told CFJ. “If we can play them in Test cricket, it will be a great opportunity for the players who can only improve when playing against the best and also rewards us for our efforts to keep playing Test cricket.”