Zimbabwe will play host to Afghanistan next month for a single Test and three T20 internationals, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) confirmed on Wednesday. The arrangement is a pared-back version of the sides’ original Future Tours Programme slot, which had pencilled in two Tests, three one-dayers and three T20Is.
“All matches will be staged at Harare Sports Club,” ZC noted in a short release, adding that the schedule had been agreed “after discussions with the Afghanistan Cricket Board”. Harare has not staged a Test since 2021; the national side’s last nine home Tests were all in Bulawayo – and all ended in defeat. The upcoming Test is set for 20-24 October, followed by T20Is on 29 and 31 October and 2 November.
Afghanistan have enjoyed the better of recent meetings. They edged Zimbabwe 1-0 in a two-match series last December and followed up with victories in both white-ball formats. Since 2021 the countries have met in four Tests, Zimbabwe winning one, drawing one and losing two.
For Zimbabwe, the fixture completes a busy 2025 in which they will have played ten Tests despite sitting outside the World Test Championship. ZC chief executive Givemore Makoni conceded the board had shuffled its priorities. “With the 2026 T20 World Cup on the horizon we felt extra T20 cricket made more sense,” he said. The postponed second Test and three ODIs are likely to be slotted into 2026.
The decision is also rooted in qualification realities. Zimbabwe are two wins away from a place at the 2026 global T20 event, with a semi-final against Kenya in the Africa qualifier looming on Thursday. Missing the 2024 edition still stings; coach Justin Sammons recently remarked, “We’ve got no desire to sit on the sidelines again.”
Should they clinch qualification, ZC will hunt for further T20 fixtures between November and April, a window during which most Full Members are otherwise engaged. Associates such as Namibia, the Netherlands and Nepal have been mentioned as possibilities.
Form has been erratic but trending upwards. After losing five T20Is in a row earlier this year, Sikandar Raza’s men have won six of their last nine. The hope, for both board and players, is that momentum carries through a rare Test in the capital and into a World Cup year that suddenly feels within reach.
