Australia to tour Zimbabwe for an ODI series in September for the first time since 2018

The three matches will be played in Harare from 15 to 20 September and will form part of Zimbabwe’s preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027.

A long-awaited return to Africa

Australia’s cricket team will travel to Zimbabwe in September, where it will play three One-Day Internationals (ODIs). This will be the Australian side’s first visit to the country since 2018, when the teams last met in Zimbabwe.

The series is limited to three ODIs and will not feature any Test matches or T20s.

Harare to host all matches in the series

All three matches will be held at a single venue. The Harare Sports Club, the capital’s main cricket ground, has been selected as the host. The series dates fall between 15 and 20 September.

It is worth noting that this ground has traditionally hosted the country’s key international cricket matches and has infrastructure familiar to most touring sides.

Why this tour matters to both sides

The context of the series goes far beyond a routine bilateral tour. Zimbabwe will co-host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 in the 50-over format with South Africa and Namibia. For the hosts, every top-class series at home becomes a kind of dress rehearsal for the global event. It is important for Zimbabwe’s organisers to assess venue readiness and infrastructure, and it is useful for players from both teams to adapt to local conditions well ahead of the main tournament.

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For Australia, the trip also has practical value. The Australians will have the chance to familiarise themselves in advance with the climate, pitches, and venue specifics where World Cup matches are likely to be played.

What the odds suggest

Bookmakers are already rating Australia’s chances highly in the upcoming series. To understand how the matchup shapes up, we reviewed several predictions for the matches in Harare. To find the latest odds, we had to turn to industry rankings, including industry rankings with no-deposit free spins for Australian players.  Many of these platforms combine casino games with full sportsbook markets, where detailed predictions for the national team’s matches are available. 

Judging by the prices, Australia remain favourites, although the February defeat to Zimbabwe prompted analysts to revise their assessments. Either way, the real picture will only become clear on the field at Harare Sports Club in September.

“Matches of this level are needed for growth”

Zimbabwe Cricket managing director Givemore Makoni commented on the upcoming series in an official statement released on Thursday.

“We are delighted to welcome Australia back to Zimbabwe. The series promises to be truly competitive,” Makoni said. According to him, matches of this calibre are crucial for the development of the Zimbabwe team. Among the key arguments for the series’ importance, he highlighted several points:

• a chance to test themselves against one of the strongest teams in world cricket;
• gaining experience in hosting top-level matches at home;
• strengthening the team’s competitive edge within the Zimbabwe squad.

Preparations for the home World Cup are already under way

Makoni directly linked the tour to the approaching 2027 World Cup. “The ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 is not far away, and this tour provides invaluable preparation as we build towards hosting the tournament with South Africa and Namibia,” he stressed. In effect, every such series becomes a building block in the lead-up to a major project on which the reputation of the three co-host nations on the international cricket stage depends.

February upset in Colombo

The upcoming series is given extra intrigue by a very recent result. In February 2025, Zimbabwe beat Australia by 23 runs in a T20 World Cup match held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.