Zimbabwe has announced its 15-man squad for the T20 tri-series against Namibia and South Africa. Experienced spinner Graeme Cremer has returned to the team after about five months.
Zimbabwe T20I Squad: Zimbabwe has announced its 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 tri-series 2026 against Namibia and South Africa. The command of the team has been handed over to experienced all-rounder Sikandar Raza. The biggest highlight in the team is the return of experienced spinner Graeme Cremer, who was away from international T20 cricket for nearly five months due to injury.
This tri-series to be held in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, will start from August 28. Apart from host Namibia, teams from Zimbabwe and South Africa will participate in the tournament. The three teams will play two matches each against each other in a double round-robin format. After this, the teams securing the top two positions in the points table will face each other in the final on September 6.
Graham Kramer returns after five months
The most important news is the return of Graeme Cremer to the Zimbabwean team. The 39-year-old spinner was out of the team after the T20 World Cup played in February due to injury. After making a full recovery from his left hand injury, he has again been included in the T20 International squad. Kramer's return is also special because he had not played any international match for Zimbabwe for almost seven years before the T20 World Cup. He made a comeback in the World Cup after a long gap, but after this injury increased his problems.
Now after regaining fitness, Kramer will get a chance to prove his worth in the Tri Series. His experience can strengthen the spin bowling attack for Zimbabwe.
Sikandar Raza will take command of the team
Zimbabwe's T20 team will be captained by Sikandar Raza. Raza has been one of the leading all-rounders and experienced players of the team for a long time. Under his leadership, the team would like to perform better against strong challenges like South Africa and Namibia. The team also includes players like Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Wesley Madhevere and Dion Myers. The bowling department has fast bowlers like Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans and experienced spin options.
Richard Ngarwa and Tanaka Chiwanga out
Zimbabwe will be missing some key players in the fast bowling department. Test and ODI team captain Richard Ngarawa is recovering from a lower back injury. For this reason he has not been given a place in the T20 team. Fast bowler Tanaka Chiwanga is also not available for selection due to injury. He has undergone surgery and is currently undergoing recovery. In such a situation, the team management is relying on the young and available fast bowlers.
Experienced batsman Brendan Taylor is also not included in the 15-member T20 squad. He played his last T20 International match against Oman in the T20 World Cup. After this he did not get a chance in the T20I series against Bangladesh and India. However, Taylor is still part of Zimbabwe's plans in Test cricket. He also played his only Test match against Bangladesh in June.
Zimbabwe Cricket will keep an eye on the fitness of Richard Ngarwa. If he becomes fully fit in time, he can be seen leading the team in the proposed ODI series against Australia in September.
Zimbabwe T20I team
Sikandar Raza (captain), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Ben Curran, Brad Evans, Innocent Kaiya, Wesley Madhewere, Tadivanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Kundai Matigimu, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Newman Nyamhuri, Tafadzwa Tsiga.