Zimbabwe to make historic debut in ICC Women's Championship
Before the ODI series kicks off, the two teams will face each other in a three-match T20I series, which will be hosted at Seddon Park in Hamilton, providing crucial preparation for the visitors.
It's a historic moment for Zimbabwe, who have been inducted into the competition for the first time following its expansion from 10 to 11 teams in November 2024. The tournament serves as the primary qualification pathway to the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2029.
'It is a proud and exciting moment for us as Zimbabwe Women prepare to compete at the highest level of the global game,' Zimbabwe Cricket Managing Director Givemore Makoni said while sharing his view about the team's achievement.
'This is not only a testament to how far our women's cricket has come, but also a strong endorsement of our vision and investment in developing the women's game."
'Being part of such a prestigious competition provides our players with a platform to grow, compete and ultimately qualify for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup,' he added.
'The exposure to top-level cricket, including this inaugural tour to New Zealand, will accelerate our progress and strengthen our global competitiveness.'
The Women's Cricket World Cup is back in India | WWC25
The Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 will be played in India later this year.
Zimbabwe will also take on Ireland next month in a series that consists of three T20 Internationals in Dublin from 20 July, followed by two One-Day Internationals in Belfast on 26 and 28 July.'This tour presents us with an excellent opportunity to challenge ourselves against quality opposition in tough conditions,' Head Coach Walter Chawaguta said.
'Ireland will provide just the right platform to sharpen our skills, build momentum and solidify our combinations.'
1st T20I - 25 February, 2026, Hamilton
2nd T20I - 25 February, 2026, Hamilton
3rd T20I - 25 February, 2026, Hamilton
1st ODI - 5 March, 2026, Dunedin
2nd ODI - 8 March, 2026, Dunedin
3rd ODI - 11 March, 2026, Dunedin NewsICC Women's ChampionshipZimbabwe Women
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Int'l Cricket Council
3 hours ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
Mithali Raj's advice to India on how to win Women's World Cup ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, 2025
India great Mithali Raj has revealed what she believes her former team needs to do well if they are to win a first ICC Women's Cricket World Cup title later this year. The Asian side will head into this year's tournament on home soil as one of the favourites to claim the famous trophy, though the likes of seven-time champions Australia and four-time winners England will be standing in their way as India attempt to clinch their maiden World Cup title. Countdown to the World Cup - ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 If India are to go all the way and win a first World Cup trophy, Raj thinks the side must make the most of their chances and do the little things well during the eight-team tournament that commences on September 30. "I think (India) needs to seize those small moments during the big games," Raj told ICC Digital recently. "That's where the balance (is) of the teams which are in contention. "They try and use more of those moments and try to shift the momentum to their side and India need to seize those moments." Mithali Raj, Yuvraj Singh, Sanjog Gupta | ICC Countdown to World Cup Mithali Raj, Yuvraj SIngh, Sanjog Gupta | ICC Countdown to World Cup Raj famously led India to a pair of World Cup finals in 2005 and 2017, but the side fell at the final hurdle on both occasions as that elusive title remained out of grasp. The former India skipper believes a World Cup title would have a massive impact on the women's game in India should they be able to hold aloft the trophy on November 2. "I think it would be huge," Raj commenced. "I mean, that is something that all the players, whoever picks up the bat, whoever wants to represent the country would want to win the World Cup because so far India hasn't. "Yes, we've come close twice, but we haven't got our hands on the Cup. "It would be great to win a World Cup at home because that's a very different stage giving all of us an opportunity to see that." Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues | ICC Countdown to World Cup Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues | ICC Countdown to World Cup And while the likes of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Smriti Mandhana will attract a lot of the headlines heading into the tournament, Raj believes it will be how the next batch of stars perform that will decide India's fate. Raj nominated inexperienced seamer Kranti Goud as a player she thinks might have a major impact at this year's World Cup, despite the fact the 22-year-old has only played four ODIs for her country. "I was quite impressed with Kranti Goud in England with her raw talent," Raj noted. "She has played WPL (Women's Premier League) but she does not really have that much experience. "But the grit that she gets as a seamer trying to keep pegging in and getting wickets (is impressive) and she picked up a six-wicket haul (in England) as well so I would love to see her in the World Cup playing at home." ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, 2025NewsMithali RajWomen's NewsIndia Women

Int'l Cricket Council
3 days ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
India's star trio eye history at Cricket World Cup 2025 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, 2025
India women's captain Harmanpreet Kaur, opener Smriti Mandhana and batter Jemimah Rodrigues have locked their sights on the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025. Harmanpreet Kaur, who will be leading in her first Women's Cricket World Cup, is keen on breaking India's deadlock by winning their first senior ICC silverware. '(The plan is the) same as my first ODI World Cup. I want to go there and enjoy my cricket, but playing in front of the home crowd is always special,' Kaur said at the '50 Days To Go' event in Mumbai. Countdown to the World Cup - 50 days to go | CWC 2025 A special day as the countdown to the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 begins on 11 August. 'This time, I hope we will give our 100 per cent and try to break that final barrier that we have all been waiting for.' Kaur believes India are heading into the tournament high on confidence following their recent successes, especially the series win in England. '(The confidence is) very high. The kind of cricket we've played over the last couple of years, gives us a lot of confidence. Smriti Mandhana | India's star opener | 100% Cricket India opener Smriti Mandhana echoed Kaur's belief and opened up on the changing mindset within Indian cricket over the past few years. 'The mindset has changed over the last two or three years. There's a calmness with which I want to go about on the field," said Mandhana at the event. 'Our whole team is heading in that direction. We know where we want to work hard. And when we enter the field, we know we've just got to implement." Mandhana added that the side was focusing on staying in the present and not looking to achieve specific landmarks. 'Whenever we've done well (on the field), everything else has taken care of itself. We are preparing really really well. 'We've had a preparation camp. We've had an England tour. We've one tour ahead of the World Cup. To be honest, that's the only thing we are thinking about.' Middle-order batting lynchpin Jemimah Rodrigues stated that the advent of the Women's Premier League has also contributed to bolstering the confidence of newcomers in the team. Rodrigues cited the instance of 22-year-old pacer Kranti Gaud, who finished as the leading wicket-taker in India's 2-1 ODI series win in England with nine scalps that included a six-wicket haul. 'What the WPL has done has given youngsters a platform to perform and get into the Indian team. There's not as much pressure as on international debut,' Jemimah said. 'In this team, we see that. We look at Kranti (Gaud), she's fearless. That attitude is so nice to see that it pushes each one of us.' Former India captain Mithali Raj, who was also a part of the event and had led the side in the previous edition, believed that the team's recent string of results puts them in a strong position for the World Cup. "The way the team has been doing over the last one year, not just in ODIs, but in T20Is. A wonderful series in England, beating England in England," she said. "I can see with their confidence, and being there in the home world cup. I think nothing better." Mithali Raj – legend, pioneer of women's cricket and an inspiration India will be hoping to go one step further at this year's tournament than they did in 2017, when they made it to their second Women's Cricket World Cup Final, missing out narrowly to England in a thrilling finish at Lord's. Casting their minds back to the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, the trio conceded that while it was disheartening to miss out on a maiden title, the tournament left a major footprint on Indian women's cricket. Among the notable moments from the tournament was Harmanpreet Kaur's whirlwind knock of 171* against Australia in the semi-final. Harmanpreet Kaur's fiery 171* | Women's World Cup Magic Moments 'That knock was something really special to me. Special to the entire women's cricket. After that knock, a lot of things changed for me and women's cricket," Kaur added. 'That time I didn't realise (its impact). But when we returned back to India, even though we lost the final, the amount of people that were waiting and cheering for us, it was really special.' Mandhana, who featured in her first Women's Cricket World Cup in 2017, also had fond memories from the tournament, where she scored 232 runs, including a century against West Indies. 'We all remember that World Cup. Not just my century, we remember each other's innings as well,' she added. 'To witness that 171 (from Harmanpreet Kaur). Everyone came together in that World Cup. 'Not just the World Cup but what followed. The kind of welcome we got back from the fans. The way things changed after that World Cup.' WT20WC: The two sides of Jemimah Rodrigues Jemimah Rodrigues, who was a budding cricketer at the time, recalled going to the airport to receive and support the team, and recalled the fervour that surrounded the return. 'I remember all these people, they were tired and at the same time disappointed, because they were so close, and yet it felt so far," she said. 'And they walked out of the airport thinking nobody was going to be there. And I can tell you at 5:30 in the morning, the whole airport was packed with crowd. 'People right now would think that that's normal. But at that time, for women's sport, it wasn't. I remember this whole bunch of players coming in and going back, because they weren't expecting it.' India will kickstart their Cricket World Cup 2025 campaign against Sri Lanka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on 30 September.

Int'l Cricket Council
3 days ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
Yuvraj gives golden advice for India before CWC25 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, 2025
With just 50 days remaining until India hosts the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, 2011 Men's Cricket World Cup Player of the Tournament, Yuvraj Singh expressed confidence in the team's chances. Reflecting on the special experience of playing a World Cup at home, Yuvraj stressed that while the occasion is significant, the key to success lies in the team staying true to their processes. 'I think the 50-over World Cup is the World Cup. It's happening in India, and I think everybody should be really excited about it. These moments don't come often in your life, I believe," Yuvraj said at the '50 days to go' event held in Mumbai. 'I feel it's a great opportunity to create history. But that doesn't mean that from the start, you think you're winning it. You have to experience the whole enigma of it. You have to feel that you put in the process, and the results will come." The Women's Cricket World Cup is back in India | WWC25 The Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 will be played in India later this year. 'I think [the women's team] lost a couple of finals. We've been there. And it's really important that you enjoy this moment. Be in the moment rather than thinking ahead. "We were supporting the boys. Now, it's time to support the girls.' A home World Cup comes with added pressure, something that the former Indian southpaw knows plenty about. He had some golden advice for the players, who will play in front of the home crowd at the upcoming tournament. 'The fans are always wanting fours and sixes, or like wickets. That's the game. They come to watch. They want entertainment. They want to be entertained," he added. "But the point is that if you want to win the World Cup, you have to be in the situation where you were at, I think. There will be times where they're going to feel that pressure.' 'There will be times when things are not going to go well. And that's the time when the experience, the self-belief, has to take over. The belief that I can be the player in this moment. I think every time you walk in the game, you have to believe that.' Former skipper Mithali Raj was also alongside Yuvraj in the discussion panel and shared her experience on how women's cricket has grown, right from her early years to reaching the final 2017 World Cup, where India ended up as the runners-up. 'Coming under BCCI was a huge thing in 2006. The infrastructure and domestic setup were all taken care, by the financial angle. Because before that there was hardly any international cricket. Now the girls play regularly, which helps a lot to keep the momentum," Mithali said. "Coming under ICC was a big moment as well. I remember in the 2009 T20 World Cup, my father saw me on TV for the first time. Because there wasn't much in the women's game before that. I wanted to say goodbye to the sport because I was struggling with an injury since 2005." "But when it was televised live by the ICC. My father watched it, those who wanted to be involved saw it. And that helped me continue in the game. "I remember I was watching a Champions Trophy game between India and Pakistan in 2017, and I was packing, and suddenly the commentators said that this [2017 Women's] World Cup is the next big ICC event. And there was a promo, and the captain's faces were there with the logo. And that really struck me. "So it wasn't one moment, it's been a journey, and it was good to have been a part of it." The Women's World Cup will kick off on 30 September, with India featuring in the tournament opener against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, 2025NewsYuvraj Singh