Zimbabwe, Netherlands Kickstart World Cup Qualifier Preparations With Three ODIs

Zimbabwe, Netherlands kickstart World Cup Qualifier preparations with three ODIs (Image Source: IANS)

A full-strength Zimbabwe will host the Netherlands in a three match ODI series to complete their ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League fixtures and start preparations for the Cricket World Cup Qualifier also on home soil.

Zimbabwe will be boosted by the return of key players Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl, while Blessing Muzarabani, Sean Williams and Tendai Chatara have also been selected after missing the recent Test series against the West Indies through injury.

The Netherlands have also named a strong squad although all-rounder Bas de Leede has been ruled out due to a heel injury and been replaced by 19-year-old Aryan Dutt.

Both teams will use this ODI series with games scheduled on March 21, 23, 25, to start tuning-up for the Cricket World Cup Qualifier also to be held in Zimbabwe, where the last two spots at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 will be up for grabs.

Zimbabwe and the Netherlands share the bottom two places in the Super League standings and are already out of contention for the eight direct qualification spots for the Cricket World Cup later this year.

The Netherlands will bank more valuable experience in the format and in similar conditions when they play two ODIs in South Africa in the week after their tour of Zimbabwe. The two series will complete the Netherlands' 24 Super League fixtures.

This will be just the second time the teams have met in an ODI series, after the Netherlands hosted Zimbabwe in 2019 and successfully chased down a target in excess of 200 in each of the two matches.

Zimbabwe were victorious in their only other ODI clash, when Andy Fowler top scored with 71 to set up the win at the Cricket World Cup 2003.

The Netherlands will be without head coach Ryan Cook for the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa, following his appointment as fielding coach at Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. Ryan van Niekerk will step in as Netherlands interim coach.

Squads:

Zimbabwe: Craig Ervine (c), Gary Ballance, Ryan Burl, Tendai Chatara, Bradley Evans, Innocent Kaia, Clive Madande, Wesley Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams.

Netherlands: Scott Edwards (captain and wicketkeeper), Colin Ackermann, Musa Nadeem Ahmad, Shariz Ahmad, Tom Cooper, Brandon Glover, Vivian Kingma, Fred Klaassen, Ryan Klein, Bas de Leede, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, Teja Nidamanuru, Max O'Dowd and Vikram Singh.

Zimbabwe: Craig Ervine (c), Gary Ballance, Ryan Burl, Tendai Chatara, Bradley Evans, Innocent Kaia, Clive Madande, Wesley Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams.

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