Co-hosting the marquee tournament alongside South Africa and Namibia, Zimbabwe have been drawn into a blockbuster Group A featuring India, defending champions Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Qualifier A. Every one of their five group-stage matches will be played on home soil across Bulawayo, Harare and Victoria Falls. As Zimbabwe prepare to co-host the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup, skipper Richard Ngarava made no secret of what lies ahead for his team: a trial by fire against some of the game’s finest teams in front of their passionate home crowd.
As Zimbabwe prepares to co-host the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup, skipper Richard Ngarava made no secret of what lies ahead for his team, a trial by fire against the game’s finest teams in front of their passionate home crowd.
For seasoned vice-captain Sikandar Raza, the prospect carries emotional weight, a chance to feature in a World Cup in front of his home fans before calling time on an illustrious career. “They’ve got so many match-winners within their group. “Obviously, there have been no games played there yet, so it’s something of an unknown. Bulawayo, we know, is just a really good cricket wicket and the team with the best skills will come out on top there. “I don’t see there being any issues from a mindset point of view. It’s just whether we can match the skill level required, and at that intensity, for a long period.
Because everybody’s coming to you, whereas you’ve been playing on those wickets, “A home World Cup is always good in a way that you have that little bit of an added advantage. Bulawayo probably suits them more than if they had to play us in Harare, so that’ll be a challenge in itself in terms of the conditions and having a home advantage,” he said.
So adjusting to those wickets doesn’t take too long,” he said. Harare, obviously, we know offers a little more bounce and pace,” the coach said. So, like I said, it’s about continuing to improve those skill levels and challenge ourselves within that.”
