The tournament will span 57 matches across 12 venues and run until November 21, 2027. Zimbabwe will host group games at Harare Sports Club and Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, while Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium in Victoria Falls will stage high-profile fixtures including Zimbabwe versus India on October 24. This marks the return of the World Cup to Africa after 24 years.
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza has expressed his personal delight at the prospect of playing in a home World Cup as his international career draws towards its conclusion. Speaking on the opportunity, Raza reflected on what the tournament means to him at this stage of his playing life.
“Every cricketer dreams of having retired or to retire before he can play a World Cup. The fact that I am coming to the end of my career as well, so to have an opportunity to play a home World Cup at home is certainly a blessing for me from a personal point of view,” Raza said as quoted by Cricbuzz.
“From a collective point of view, I do think the world really needs to see what Africa has to offer, the beauty, the crowd and the vibe and everything that we have to offer in Zimbabwe, especially. The world deserves to see it. For people who will find time to travel to Zimbabwe to watch the World Cup, it will be an unforgettable experience,” he added.
Zimbabwe is looking forward to hosting matches at the new Victoria Falls venue, which is scheduled for inauguration in the coming months. Raza noted that the location will allow visiting teams and supporters to explore the region beyond cricket. Zimbabwe's group-stage match against India is scheduled to take place there on October 24.
“We are really excited that our new stadium will be launched in the next few months and I do think we have fixtures there early next year as well, so we're really looking forward,” Raza said.
“What we expect from Victoria Falls, as much as cricket is important, but I think outside cricket, beautiful sightings, a peaceful sleep because you can hear the falls, a lovely sunset and some great human beings and a hospitable environment for everyone,” he added.
Zimbabwe are in Group A alongside India, Pakistan, Australia and Afghanistan, with the final spot to be decided through a qualifying tournament ahead of the World Cup.
"I quite like the Super Seven idea. I think the teams that play well deserve to have more games at the World Cup. When it comes to Zimbabwe and the fixtures, if you look at our FTP, our board has done really well to find fixtures from here and there outside our FTP program as well. Zimbabwe Cricket has gone up and beyond for their players to play more games to be ready for whichever fixture," Raza said.
Although playing on home turf, Raza does not expect Zimbabwe to have a major home advantage. He noted that ICC regulations strictly standardize pitch and venue conditions, leaving host nations with little control over the playing surface. During the tournament, Zimbabwe is set to play its matches across Harare, Bulawayo, and the newly built venue at Victoria Falls.
“We will try our best to gain some home advantage, but for ICC events it's very difficult because the curators like ICC are basically in control of everything. But yes, we will try and take some advantage where we can, fair advantage that is,” said Raza.
Raza was asked about Zimbabwe's potential inclusion in the next ICC World Test Championship cycle. He expressed strong support for such a development, believing it would accelerate Zimbabwe's cricketing growth across all formats.
“Firstly, I think if that happens (Zimbabwe part of next ICC cycle) I will be the first guy who will be in support of that. If Zimbabwe is part of WTC we might not be able to do well at the start, but one thing I do know, if we are part of that, our cricketing growth will go up. Our performances will get better in all formats. The reason I say that is a lot of my cricketing development that the world has seen has come through Test cricket," said Raza.
"In early years of my career I played a lot of Test cricket as well and my cricketing development has happened through test cricket and if Zimbabwe is part of WTC, whether we we might not be able to do well at the start, but one thing I do know, if we are part of that, our cricketing growth eventually, not eventually, quickly will go up, our performances will get better. And not just in Test cricket, I think our performances in one day and T20 cricket will get better because I feel like if you can somehow play a decent test cricket or become a decent test cricketer, the other formats become slightly easier to play in. So I'll be the first guy to raise my hand,” he added.
