Zimbabwe, which was once known as Rhodesia until 1980, had a national cricket team until it was awarded Test status. Zimbabwe became the International Cricket Council (ICC) as a Full Member in 1992. Zimbabwe is currently ranked 10th in Tests, 13th in ODIs, and 11th in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) by the ICC as of March 2022.
A summary of key moments:
In 1983, Zimbabwe's first World Cup campaign ended in the group stage when they dropped five out of six games. But they pulled a fast one on Australia. First-innings batters Zimbabwe reached 239 for 6 in the allowed 60 overs, with captain Duncan Fletcher leading the way with 69 not out. Fletcher then recorded a shocking upset in cricket history by holding Australia to 226 for 7 with career-best figures of 4 for 42.
As per cricket updates , Zimbabwe lost all six group-stage games in the 1987 World Cup, although coming extremely close to defeating New Zealand. David Houghton, a wicketkeeper-batsman, scored 142 while Zimbabwe needed 243 runs to win from 50 overs, but they were dismissed for 239 runs in the penultimate /, losing by three runs.
Zimbabwe lost seven of their eight matches at the 1992 tournament and could not go past the round of 16, despite two remarkable victories. Zimbabwe's first match saw them score their highest total against Sri Lanka, 312 for 4, with wicketkeeper-batsman Andy Flower leading the way with 115 not out. The Sri Lankans, who prevailed by three wickets, managed to bat down this total with four balls remaining according to Zimbabwe cricket team news.
In their final game, Zimbabwe played an inconsequential match against England because England had already advanced to the semifinals. When Zimbabwe batted first, they were all out for 134. Then, Eddo Brandes delivered a remarkable spell of 4 for 21, including the first-ball dismissal of Graham Gooch, to assist in keeping England to 125 all out and give Zimbabwe a startling nine-run victory.
Zimbabwe only played in these 20 World Cup games as part of their international schedule.
Zimbabwe gained Test status from the ICC in July 1992 and played its first Test match against India at Harare Sports Club in October of that same year. They were now the ninth Test-playing nation.
Early Test performances by Zimbabwe were usually poor, raising the possibility that they had been given Test status too soon. They only triumphed once in their first 30 Test matches, defeating Pakistan at home in early 1995.
But the team quickly established itself as competitive, if not exceptionally powerful, in the one-day competition. Their fielding prowess helped them win recognition around the world in particular as per Zimbabwe cricket updates.
Despite the challenges faced by his team, wicketkeeper/batsman Andy Flower was once considered to be the best batsman in all of cricket. Additionally, Zimbabwe developed cricket players like Grant Flower, Andy Blignaut, and Heath Streak (who was later appointed national captain). Other significant Zimbabwean players now included former captain and middle-order batsman Alistair Campbell, leg-spinning all-rounder Paul Strang, Eddo Brandes, and pace bowler/opener Neil Johnson.
With the emergence of these talented players, Zimbabwe's squad saw a breakthrough in performance in the late 1990s, winning tests against other nations, including a series victory over Pakistan. Unfortunately, Zimbabwe's political climate deteriorated around the same time, which harmed the performance of the national squad.
At the 1999 Cricket World Cup, Zimbabwe did well, finishing fifth in the Super Sixes and only missing out on a semi-final spot because of a lower net run rate than New Zealand.
According to Zimbabwe cricket news, Zimbabwe frequently conquered every Test-playing nation (apart from Australia) in the ODI series. In 2000–2001, Zimbabwe defeated New Zealand at home and abroad. The team also advanced to the championship rounds of numerous international one-day contests.
Signs of decline
The 2003 Cricket World Cup , which was co-hosted by Zimbabwe, Kenya, and South Africa, was disrupted by the growing politicization of cricket, particularly selectorial policy, as well as the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe. To avoid jeopardizing their chances of moving on in the competition, England canceled a game that was supposed to be played in Zimbabwe, claiming "security concerns." Fast bowler Henry Olonga and player Andy Flower of Zimbabwe donned black armbands to "mourn the passing of democracy" in their country. Both were abruptly let go from the team and submitted requests for political asylum abroad.
Zimbabwe played a two-match series against Australia in late 2003. The Australian opener Matthew Hayden's first Test innings, in which he battled a back strain to achieve a then-record 380 runs, will be remembered more fondly than Zimbabwe's effort.
In 2004, Zimbabwe lost its inaugural game to Bangladesh. 14 players staged a walkout in 2004 when ZCU (now Zimbabwe Cricket) fired captain Heath Streak in protest of political meddling in the team's management and selection practices. A Sri Lankan tour that was set to take place failed to live up to expectations because unrecognized amateurs only represented Zimbabwe. Since its standing as a Test nation was unaffected, the ZCU agreed that Zimbabwe will not play any more Test cricket in 2004 as per latest cricket news.
The United States and Zimbabwe advanced to the tournament's semi-finals in Group A by winning their opening two games. To earn a spot in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2022, the Netherlands and Zimbabwe advanced to the tournament's championship game. Zimbabwe's hosts won the competition, defeating the Netherlands by 37 runs.
In July and August 2022, the Bangladesh cricket team traveled to Zimbabwe to compete in three One Day International (ODI) and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. The first T20I match was won by Zimbabwe by 17 runs. The team's greatest record in the T20I format was their sixth straight victory. Zimbabwe defeated Bangladesh in both T20I and ODI matches, defeating them both 2-1. Zimbabwe won the third T20I by 10 runs to take the series by a score of 2-1. In both games, Sikandar Raza won player of the series honors, and Ryan Burl broke Shakib Al Hasan's previous record of 30 runs per over by scoring 34 runs against Nasum Ahmed.
For all the latest Zimbabwe cricket news, CBTF Speed News is your one-stop shop, and you can check the Zimbabwe cricket team page for the latest news updates.
