Image Credit- AFP
After Zimbabwe lost the Twenty20 International series
to Namibia 3-2, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) made significant changes to the lineup,
appointing Sikandar Raza as the new captain.
Prioritising Zimbabwe’s bid to qualify for the T20
World Cup in the USA and West Indies the following year, the board also decided
to keep head coach Dave Houghton in place in an effort to preserve consistency.
With Craig Ervine leading the Test and ODI sides, Zimbabwe, who are ranked 11th
in T20Is, will have two captains for all three forms.
The greatest win percentage among Zimbabwe T20I
captains was achieved by Zimbabwe in 38 games while Ervine was captain. Prior
to 2021, Raza captained Zimbabwe in four Twenty20 Internationals, all as a
stand-in.
The men’s selection panel was also reorganised, with
Houghton and former captain Elton Chigumbura joining convener David Mutendera,
a former fast bowler.
Due to intervention in its administration by the
government, Zimbabwe was suspended by the ICC and was not allowed to compete in
the 2021 T20 World Cup. They won their group in the first round of the 2022
competition, but they placed sixth in their Super 12 group and were not
automatically qualified for 2024.
To get there, Zimbabwe will be playing the Africa
region qualifier final later this month alongside Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania,
Uganda, Kenya and hosts Namibia. Two teams from that competition will complete
the 20-team line-up for the main edition in 2024.