The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will be hosting a bilateral series against Zimbabwe for the first time in 22 years. As confirmed by the governing council, Zimbabwe will be travelling to England in May 2025 as the one-off Test will be played from 28-31 May. Notably, the venue of the match is not yet decided.
Speaking on the same, ECB Chief Executive Officer, Richard Gould stated that the England side is delighted to be able to host Zimbabwe after such a long time and is really keen to help the country grow by playing Test matches and finding more opportunities to build strong relations.
“Zimbabwe has a proud cricket history and have produced world-class players and coaches who have enriched the game across the world. We are committed to developing a closer relationship with Zimbabwe Cricket and the announcement of this Test against our England Men’s team is a step in that ambition.
“This summer’s Ashes series showcased all that is great about Test cricket and, while we must be mindful of the demands of world cricket’s schedule, we also want to help grow Test cricket and find opportunities to play more nations where we can,” Gould was quoted as saying by ECB.
The significance and magnitude of this tour cannot be over-emphasised: ZC MD Givemore Makoni
Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) expressed their gratitude after ECB confirmed the new development. Their managing director Givemore Makoni thanked ECB for the commitment in order to build a strong cricketing relationship like it was back in the day. He added saying that Zimbabwe are progressing and hence, playing against one of the top nations will very much help them move forward.
“We are absolutely delighted to be playing bilateral cricket in England for the first time in over two decades. The significance and magnitude of this tour cannot be over-emphasised, and I would like to say a huge thank you to the ECB for committing to the resumption of cricketing relations between our countries that date back to the introduction of the game in Zimbabwe in the 1890s.
“The experience of playing a Test match against a top team like England is massive for the current generation of our players, coming at a time when our game as a whole is on an upward trajectory,” Makoni mentioned.