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Eddie Chikamhi

Senior Sports Reporter

AFTER the disappointment of missing the ICC Cricket World Cup for the first time in the previous edition, Zimbabwe head coach Dave Houghton is looking for a positive outcome when the Chevrons host the 50-over Qualifying tournament again in a few months time.

The Chevrons are set to welcome nine other opponents for this 10-team qualifying tournament set to run from June 18 to July 9 in Harare and Bulawayo, with only two slots available for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup finals to be held in India later in the year.

The Chevrons failed to make direct qualification after finishing in the bottom rungs of the 13-team World Cup Super League main qualifying tournament.

Head coach Houghton, who has been credited with turning around the team’s fortunes since he joined the side last year, is happy though to have another shot at qualifying for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Houghton is targeting the upcoming One Day International series against the Netherlands to form part of his team’s preparations for the qualifying tournament on home soil.

“We will have to qualify for this year’s World Cup and these games are the beginning of that run in for us,” he said.

“We need to continue winning, particularly at home. The Dutch are a formidable outfit, and call on experience from all round the world.”

Zimbabwe suffered a huge disappointment at the last Qualifier, which they also played on home soil, following a shock defeat to the United Arab Emirates in a rain-interrupted match played in a packed Harare Sports Club.

Afghanistan and West Indies proceeded from the Qualifier at the expense of the Chevrons, who previously had played at every finals of the tournament since 1983.

The West Indies were guaranteed a spot after defeating Scotland in the penultimate round. Afghanistan joined them after defeating Ireland in the final over of their match.

But this time around Afghanistan have secured automatic qualification, along with hosts India, New Zealand, England, Pakistan, Australia and Bangladesh following a good run in the Super League.

South Africa are likely to nail the last spot although West Indies and Sri Lanka are still mathematically in the running for the direct qualification ticket, ahead of the remaining Super League games.

Zimbabwe and the Netherlands are already out of contention for direct qualification, ahead of their final Super League showdown at Harare Sports Club this month.

The two sides will meet in three ODIs scheduled for March 21, 23 and 25 at Harare Sports Club.

The Chevrons are set to have a full-strength squad for the series after fielding a depleted side in the recent Test contest with the visiting West Indies.

The selectors have given a number of national team players a run in the recent one day games against the touring county sides Durham and Glamorgan in Harare.

Durham and Glamorgan, who are among the top first-class clubs within the England and Wales domestic cricket set-up, were in Zimbabwe for the past two weeks as part of their pre-season programmes.

Among the notable additions for the final practice games was fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani, who has been sidelined since last November when he suffered a quadriceps muscle injury flare-up while playing for Zimbabwe at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

Muzarabani played two games against both Durham and Glamorgan in Harare.

All-rounder Sikandar Raza is also set to be available for the Netherland series after a whirlwind outing in the T20 franchise gigs that took him to countries such as Nepal, UAE and Pakistan.

Fast bowler Tendai Chatara, who had been struggling with a knee injury, is also up and running. However, there is still no news on all-rounder Sean Williams, who was injured during the first part of the white ball series against Ireland back in January.

With the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 just under 100 days away, excitement has already started building up with the hosts promising to stage yet another memorable event.

Host Tournament Director Hamilton Masakadza, who played for Zimbabwe at the last edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which was also staged in the country in 2018, is looking forward to delivering a world-class event.

“We are thrilled to be hosting a tournament of such magnitude and global significance, bringing together 10 teams boasting some of the world’s most gifted and talented players to fight it out in Harare and Bulawayo for two places at the World Cup,” he said.

“We now have 100 days to go and, needless to say, we are working round the clock to spruce up our facilities to ensure, come June, we are ready to deliver yet another unforgettable event — bigger and better than last time.”

The 10 teams that will feature in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 will be confirmed soon.

They will include the five bottom teams on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League table, the top three teams from the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 and the top two teams from the 2023 World Cup Qualifier Playoff.