Australia and Zimbabwe set to play 3 ODIs in 2026 which will set to be tagged along with the South Africa tour.
Australia and Zimbabwe will play a three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe next year ahead of the 2027 World Cup in southern Africa, but their protracted Test drought is expected to continue.
Australia will make a quick stopover in Zimbabwe for three ODIs prior to their Test and ODI tour of South Africa, which is scheduled for September–October 2026. This information was initially reported by News Corp and is expected to be formally announced in the upcoming weeks.
The main 10,000-seat stadium at Victoria Falls is unlikely to be ready by the time the series takes place in Harare and potentially Bulawayo.
Zimbabwe Cricket had been advocating for the inclusion of a single Test match in what would have been the tour’s highlight. However, that won’t happen because Australia will play at least 19 Test matches between mid-2026 and the Ashes tour in 2027. As Australia and Zimbabwe prepare to co-host the upcoming 50-over World Cup alongside South Africa and Namibia, an ODI series is also anticipated.
Only three Test matches have been played between Zimbabwe and Australia, the latest two of which took place in October 2003 in a brief series that is best remembered for Matthew Hayden’s momentary world record score of 380 in the first Test at the WACA.
In 1999, in what turned out to be wicketkeeper Ian Healy’s final Test match, a Steve Waugh-led Australia defeated Zimbabwe by ten wickets in the country’s sole Test.
Australia’s eight-year absence from Zimbabwe will come to an end with the ODI series.
“We are a Test nation, so playing the top countries like Australia and England at home will go a long way to making this format popular in Zimbabwe,” ZC chair Tavengwa Mukuhlani told.
“Playing against the best teams will help our players develop their skills in Test cricket. Understandably Australia wants to prepare for the World Cup, but hopefully we can play them in Test cricket in the future.”