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Eddie Chikamhi

Senior Sports Reporter

THE Zimbabwe national cricket team is set to begin their final training camp for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Gweru on Monday.

Zimbabwe Cricket, who are the local organisers of the event, are putting up the final touches ahead of the 10-team tournament to be held in Harare and Bulawayo between June 18 and July 9.

The selectors are expected today to announce the final team to represent Zimbabwe at the qualifying event, which will see the teams battling it out for the only two spots available for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India later in the year.

ZC spokesperson Darlington Majonga yesterday said the Chevrons have a robust preparatory programme in place that include a week-long outing in Gweru.

“The squad has been finalised and should be made public tomorrow (today) if all goes according to plan,” he told The Herald yesterday.

“Then on Monday the team will leave for Gweru where there will spend some days as part of the bonding and team building exercise.  “During the time in the Midlands, they will also visit Antelope Park for game viewing and then return to Harare on June 10,” said Majonga.

The Chevrons players featured in a series of Zimbabwe Select preparatory cricket games against the visiting Pakistan A side that ended in Harare last weekend.

A host of players were given the opportunity to impress the selectors. Some of the senior players like Craig Ervine, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara and Sean Williams raised their hands up for selection with some leading performances.

Most of the players that had struggled with injuries had also returned, providing coach Dave Houghton and the selectors with a bigger pool to pick their squad.

All-rounder Sikandar Raza joined them for the last two games after returning from the lucrative Indian Premier League.

Zimbabwe and the two-time champions West Indies headline Group A, which also has the Netherlands, USA and minnows Nepal.

Sri Lanka, who won the World Cup in 1996 and were runners up in 2007 and 2011, are favourites in Group B which also has Ireland, Scotland, Oman and UAE.

Hosts Zimbabwe will get the ball rolling on the opening match day at Harare Sports Club against Nepal, who are aiming to qualify for the Men’s Cricket World Cup for the first time.

Two-time Men’s Cricket World Cup champions West Indies will also be in action on the same day against neighbours USA at Takashinga Cricket Club.

Zimbabwe will play West Indies in the last hurdle for the Super Six stage of the World Cup Qualifier which promises fireworks across venues in Harare and Bulawayo next month.

Group B commences on June 19 in Bulawayo with Sri Lanka facing the UAE at Queen’s Sports Club, while in the other match at Bulawayo Athletic Club, Ireland will face off against Oman.

This is the second time Zimbabwe has been granted the rights by the ICC to play the Qualifier on home soil, following the successful hosting of a similar event in 2018.

Queen’s Sports Club and Bulawayo Athletic Club in Bulawayo, Harare Sports Club and Takashinga Cricket Club in Harare will share 34 matches between them, with Harare Sports Club staging the final on July 9.

Old Hararians Cricket Club will also host warm-up fixtures.

The 10 teams taking part in the qualifier are split into two groups of five teams.

Each match will be high stakes, with teams contesting for two places at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India that gives them nine guaranteed matches at cricket’s ODI global showpiece.

Each side will play the other teams in their group once with the top three from each group progressing to the Super Six stage. In the Super Six, they will play the sides they did not meet in the group stage.

All points won in the group stage will be carried over to the Super Six stage apart from those gained against the teams that fail to make it to the Super Six stage. The finalists will both progress to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Seven of the 10 countries set to take part in the upcoming 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier to be held in Zimbabwe have named their squads, setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting month of competitive cricket.

Ireland, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, Scotland, USA and two-time champions West Indies have already named their squads and should be trooping into the country in the next few days.

Hosts Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and UAE are also expected to finalise their squads. All the participating teams are expected to check in by June 11.