Harare, Sep 8 : Zimbabwe is set to host Namibia in a three-match T20I series, to be held this month, as part of crucial preparation for both teams ahead of the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers.

The matches are scheduled to be held on September 15, 16, and 18 at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, with fans to be charged no fee for watching games in the stadium. Zimbabwe and Namibia are among the eight teams to participate in the T20 World Cup qualifiers, set to be held in Harare from September 26 to October 4.

The top two teams in the Africa Qualifier will book their places for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, to be held in India and Sri Lanka. Zimbabwe will go into the series against Namibia with the same squad that recently pushed Sri Lanka all the way in a thrilling T20I contest at Harare Sports Club, though they lost the series 2-1.

Head coach Justin Sammons said the series against Namibia presents his side with a valuable opportunity to build momentum ahead of the qualifier. 'We must build on the positives from the Sri Lanka series, and facing Namibia will give us exactly the kind of contest we need before the qualifier.'

'They are a quality team who have consistently performed well in this format, so these matches will demand our very best. For us, it's about refining our plans, getting combinations right, and making sure we go into the qualifier confident and battle-hardened,' he said.

Zimbabwe had last played a T20 World Cup in the 2022 edition of the competition in Australia. But the side missed out on qualifying for the 2024 tournament held in the West Indies and the USA, as Uganda and Namibia took the two spots up for grabs in the Africa qualifiers.

Zimbabwe squad: Sikandar Raza (Captain), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Brad Evans, Trevor Gwandu, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Brendan Taylor, and Sean Williams

/IANS