CHEVRONS FACE DUTCH TEST

ZIMBABWE’S preparedness for this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be briefly tested today when they engage Netherlands in a warm-up game in Sri Lanka. The match, to be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, is one of the two preparatory matches organised by the International Cricket Council for Justin Sammons’ men before they plunge into the main tournament co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in a few days. Zimbabwe will also play Oman at the Colombo Cricket Club Ground on Thursday to wrap up their preparations ahead of the 2026 edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The Chevrons, who travelled to Sri Lanka early to acclimatise to the conditions in the Asian country, moved to Colombo at the weekend after holding a training camp in the port city of Hambantota last week. In fact, they had narrowed down their preparations for the tournament last month when most of the players trained in Harare under the watch of Sammons and his assistant Dion Ebrahim. They were also joined by former West Indies fast-bowling great Courtney Walsh, as a bowling consultant, to bolster their preparations.

Ex-Zimbabwe opening batsman Ebrahim has been working closely with the batters while Walsh sharpened the bowling unit led by Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani. The side is now expected to put into practice the labour of the last four weeks.