On Friday, Zimbabwe announced the inclusion of one uncapped player, wicketkeeper/batter Joylord Gumbie, in their 15-man team for the Men’s Cricket World Cup qualifying competition that will take place in their country from June 18 to July 9.
Gumbie, who is 27 years old, received this honor as a reward for his great performance in recent matches for the national A side against their Pakistani opponents.
Craig Ervine, a batter, will serve as the captain of a team that also has Sikandar Raza, a prodigious scorer, and Sean Williams, an experienced all-rounder.
Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava, who bowl at a fast speed, as well as all-rounders Ryan Burl and Wessly Madhevere, will also be held to a high standard of performance.
Spinner Wellington Masakadza, wicketkeeper/batter Clive Madande, and opening batter Innocent Kaia will all be looking to play significant roles in the match.
Group A consists of the West Indies, Nepal, the Netherlands, and the United States of America, while Group B includes Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. Group A also includes Zimbabwe.
After one round, the top three teams in each division proceed to the Super Six stage. During this stage, each club will play the three qualifiers that they did not face during the first round.
The two teams that finish first and second in the Super Six automatically qualify for the World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in India during the months of October and November this year.
Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England (the defending tournament champions), India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa have all clinched spots in the competition’s final round of 10.
Squad
Ryan Burl, Tendai Chatara, Craig Ervine (capt), Bradley Evans, Joylord Gumbie, Luke Jongwe, Innocent Kaia, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams
Coach: Dave Houghton (ZIM)