Zimbabwe ODI Squad Against Australia: Raza, Cremer, and Taylor Return

Zimbabwe have named a 15-man squad for their ODI series against Australia, and it reads like a collision of eras.

Sikandar Raza will captain the side, stepping in for regular ODI skipper Richard Ngarava, who is sidelined with a lower-back injury. Raza, the heartbeat of Zimbabwean cricket in recent years, now shoulders even more responsibility against one of the game’s powerhouses.

Cremer and Taylor roll back the years

Graeme Cremer is back. The former captain, who last played an ODI in 2018, returns to the format at 38, adding experience and a genuine leg-spin option to Zimbabwe’s attack. His only previous ODI outing against Australia came on the biggest stage of all – the 2011 World Cup. Fifteen years on from his debut and after a long absence, he now gets another crack at them, this time at home.

His comeback has been building. Cremer re-entered the international frame in T20Is last year, featured at the T20 World Cup earlier this year, and then turned out in the Namibia T20I tri-series. Now he steps back into the 50-over arena, where his control and guile could prove crucial on Harare’s surfaces.

Alongside him, another giant of Zimbabwean cricket walks back through the door.

Brendan Taylor, the 40-year-old keeper-batter and one of the country’s modern greats, returns again after a staggered comeback. He played two ODIs against Sri Lanka in 2025 following a four-year hiatus, and now he’s back in the squad for a marquee home series. Taylor is already Zimbabwe’s second-highest run-scorer in ODI history and sits just 81 runs shy of surpassing Andy Flower’s all-time national record. Every innings he plays against Australia will carry that extra layer of intrigue: the chase for Flower’s mark, and what it represents for a career that has defined a generation.

Tadiwanashe Marumani offers the other wicketkeeping option, a younger, more contemporary counterpoint to Taylor’s seasoned presence. That balance between old and new runs right through this squad.

Injuries bite, big names miss out

Zimbabwe will have to navigate the series without two of their frontline quicks. Ngarava’s lower-back injury not only strips them of their captain but also their left-arm spearhead with the new ball. Tendai Chatara, another experienced seamer, is also missing, ruled out with an Achilles tendon injury.

Those absences place extra pressure on the remaining attack and increase the value of Cremer’s leg-spin and Raza’s all-round versatility.

One notable omission comes behind the stumps. Clive Madande, the keeper-batter who featured in Zimbabwe’s last ODI series against Bangladesh in July, has not been picked this time. His exclusion underlines the selectors’ decision to lean on Taylor’s stature and Marumani’s potential for this high-profile assignment.

Australia return to Harare

Australia’s visit carries its own historical weight. Zimbabwe last hosted them for an ODI in 2014, during a triangular series that also involved South Africa. A long gap, a different era, and a very different Zimbabwean side.

Now, with a veteran core reunited and a charismatic stand-in captain in Raza, Zimbabwe step into a three-match series that could define the next phase of their one-day cricket. The games will be played on 15, 18 and 20 September, all at Harare Sports Club, a venue that has seen more than its share of struggle and resurgence.

Cremer back in national colours. Taylor chasing down Andy Flower. Raza leading from the front.

For Zimbabwe, this isn’t just another ODI series. It’s a statement about who they still believe they can be.