Zimbabwe have welcomed Brendan Taylor and Sean Williams back into a 16-strong T20I group for the three-match series against Sri Lanka in Harare, beginning on Wednesday.
Taylor’s selection means the 39-year-old could complete a rare hat-trick: appearances in Tests, ODIs and T20Is inside a single month, all coming little more than four weeks after his ICC anti-corruption suspension expired. He faced New Zealand in the one-off Test, then featured in the just-concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka. His most recent T20I was in April 2021, also in Harare, against Pakistan.
Williams, who last played a T20I in May 2024, returns with one eye on the Africa regional qualifier later this month – the pathway to the 2026 T20 World Cup. Zimbabwe will meet Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda, with only two World Cup spots up for grabs. They missed out on the expanded 2024 event after defeats to Namibia and Uganda, a lapse captain Sikandar Raza recently described as “a bruise we still feel”.
Selector-in-chief David Mutendera put the latest picks down to “experience and balance”, adding in Tuesday’s media release: “Brendan and Sean give us know-how under pressure, something we lacked at key moments last year.”
Fast bowler Brad Evans and left-hander Tadiwanashe Marumani also re-enter the frame. They replace Newman Nyamhuri, Wessly Madhevere, Vincent Masekesa and wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga, all of whom featured in July’s tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand.
Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka have met only six times in T20Is, the most recent clash coming in January 2024, when the visitors edged a competitive three-game series 2-1. Raza expects a familiar arm-wrestle. “Sri Lanka challenge you in every phase,” he said. “We need to start well and finish better.”
The selection panel resisted the temptation to draft in additional spin options despite dry early-spring surfaces in Harare. Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava lead a pace group supplemented by Evans, while Wellington Masakadza remains the senior spinner. Assistant coach Stuart Matsikenyeri argued that variety is already present: “Sean can bowl left-arm spin, Tony Munyonga gives us off-spin overs, and Ryan Burl’s leg-spin is improving every week.”
Match one is scheduled for 13:00 local time on Wednesday at Harare Sports Club, with the remaining fixtures on Friday and Sunday. All three games will be streamed by Zimbabwe Cricket and broadcast locally on ZBC.
Squad in full
Sikandar Raza (capt), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Brad Evans, Trevor Gwandu, Clive Madande (wk), Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sean Williams
A short, sharp series, then, but with bigger implications. Zimbabwe want momentum before the continental qualifier; Sri Lanka, coming off mixed form in white-ball cricket, will not gift it to them.
