Zimbabwe names Raza as captain for ODI series against Australia

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

With regular captain Richard Ngarava sidelined by a lower-back injury, the reins pass to Sikandar Raza, the heartbeat of this side and now its stand-in leader. He will front a group that blends hardened veterans with players still trying to write their first major chapter in international cricket.

Cremer’s long road back

The headline is unmistakable: Graeme Cremer is back.

The former captain has not played an ODI since 2018. His only previous one-day meeting with Australia came at the 2011 World Cup, a lifetime ago in cricketing terms, but the leg-spinner has quietly rebuilt his international career. He forced his way into Zimbabwe’s T20I setup last year, featured at the T20 World Cup earlier this year, and then kept his momentum going through the Namibia T20I tri-series.

Now he returns to the 50-over format, offering Raza a genuine attacking option in the middle overs and a cool head in a dressing room that has seen plenty of upheaval.

Taylor closes in on Flower

If Cremer’s comeback adds intrigue, Brendan Taylor’s presence adds weight.

The 40-year-old keeper-batter is already Zimbabwe’s second-highest ODI run-scorer of all time. He is just 81 runs shy of Andy Flower’s national record, a milestone that suddenly feels very real with three matches against Australia on the horizon.

Taylor knows what it is to step away and come back. After a four-year break from ODIs, he briefly returned against Sri Lanka in 2025, playing two matches. This latest recall suggests Zimbabwe still believe his experience and game management are worth leaning on, especially against a side as ruthless as Australia.

Raza will also have another wicketkeeping option in Tadiwanashe Marumani, a very different profile to Taylor and a reminder that this squad is not simply a nostalgia tour.

Injuries bite the attack

Zimbabwe’s optimism is tempered by some brutal absences.

Ngarava, their regular ODI captain and one of their key quicks, misses out with a lower-back injury. He is not alone on the treatment table. Tendai Chatara, a long-time pillar of the pace attack, is also unavailable due to an Achilles tendon injury.

Those two injuries strip the attack of experience and control. It places extra responsibility on whoever fills the new-ball roles and increases the value of Cremer’s leg-spin as a wicket-taking threat in the middle overs.

Clive Madande, who kept wicket in the ODI series against Bangladesh in July, has not been picked this time. His omission clears the way for the Taylor–Marumani combination to cover both batting and keeping duties.

Harare set for rare Australian visit

Australia’s arrival in Zimbabwe for an ODI series is a rarity in itself. The last time Zimbabwe hosted them in the format was back in 2014, during a triangular series that also involved South Africa. A lot has changed since then: captains, line-ups, even the shape of Zimbabwean cricket.

What has not changed is the stage. All three matches will be played at Harare Sports Club, on 15, 18 and 20 September. A familiar venue, but a very different script.

Zimbabwe walk into this series without their regular captain and with an injury-hit pace unit, yet flanked by two of their most seasoned campaigners in Taylor and Cremer, and driven by Raza’s relentless competitive edge.

Records are within reach. Reputations are on the line. Against Australia, there is rarely any middle ground.