Ireland to Tour Zimbabwe: In January, the Ireland men’s team will travel to Zimbabwe for three T20Is and three ODIs. The Harare Sports Club will serve as the venue for all six games. The T20Is on January 12, 14, and 15 will kick off the tour. It will then move on to the ODIs on January 18, 20, and 23.
Ireland to Tour Zimbabwe for T20Is and ODI series in January 2023
The series will be the first international competition for both sides since the T20 World Cup. It will provide them both with crucial playing time before the ODI World Cup Qualifier. The qualifiers will take place in Zimbabwe in June–July 2023. Currently, Zimbabwe is out of the running to automatically qualify for the 2023 World Cup. The ODI WC will be held in India in October and November. The Green Team, Ireland is battling it out with four other teams for the eighth and last spot.
Ireland and Zimbabwe World Cup Chances
Ireland has one series left against Bangladesh at home in the summer of 2023. They are presently ranked 10th of 13 teams in the league. To have a chance of placing seventh in that series, they will need to win all three games while also praying that South Africa and Sri Lanka don’t win all of their respective remaining games.
Zimbabwe is currently in 12th place. In March 2023, they will play the 13th-placed Netherlands at home in their final Super League matchup.
Both Ireland and Zimbabwe have improved their game immensely. Their best performances were showcased in the recent T20 World Cup. Zimbabwe had beaten finalist Pakistan while Ireland beat the champions England in the playoffs.
World Cup Super League Scenario
Earlier, Afghanistan became the eighth side to achieve direct qualifying for the 50-over World Cup following ODI series against Sri Lanka. In the Super League’s top seven slots, Afghanistan joined the World Cup hosts India, England, New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
Only one of West Indies, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Ireland have a realistic chance for the remaining spot to avoid the qualifiers. The maximum number of points the current six teams in the bottom can achieve is 109, while each of the top six teams have 120 and more. Afghanistan, currently placed seventh with 115 points, still have ten matches to be played. It is unlikely they will slip below 109 with over-rate penalties due to their spin-heavy bowling unit and having not lost a point yet.
The teams for the tour are not released by either of the teams yet.
