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Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has announced the 16-member squad for the upcoming home Test series against West Indies, starting February 04 at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
Regular captain Sean Williams will be unavailable for the red-ball battle as he recovers from a fractured finger. In Williams’ absence, experienced campaigner Craig Ervine, playing his first Test in three years, will captain the side
Further, the hosts will also be without the all-rounder duo of Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl because of their franchise commitments overseas. Likewise, fast bowlers Tendai Chatara and Blessing Muzarabani are also not in the Test outfit due to their respective injuries.
Though the Zimbabwean team will boost by the presence of Gary Ballance in the squad. The former England batter recently made his ODI debut in the series against Ireland. Ballance, who has played 23 Tests for England with four hundreds, returned to Zimbabwe after being released by Yorkshire last year.
The absence of many first-choice players has opened the doors for the newcomers, as there are many uncapped players in the 16-man outfit. The likes of Tafadzwa Tsiga, Joylord Gumbie, Kudzai Maunze and Tanunurwa Makoni have all been rewarded for their domestic form.
“Gary Ballance has been named in Zimbabwe’s squad for their two-match Test series against the West Indies that gets underway at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Saturday. The left-handed batter recently committed to playing for his country of birth after he had previously featured in 23 Tests for England, scoring 1 498 runs with four centuries and seven fifties at an average of 37.45. In the absence of regular captain Sean Williams who is recovering from a fractured finger, Craig Ervine will lead Zimbabwe in the series,” said Zimbabwe Cricket in an official release.
Zimbabwe Squad for West Indies Tests:
Gary Ballance, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Tanaka Chivanga, Craig Ervine (captain), Bradley Evans, Joylord Gumbie, Innocent Kaia, Tanunurwa Makoni, Wellington Masakadza, Kudzai Maunze, Brandon Mavuta, Richard Ngarava, Victor Nyauchi, Milton Shumba, Donald Tiripano, Tafadzwa Tsiga
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