IND Vs ZIM, T20 World Cup: A Crash Course On Zimbabwe Cricket

For all theoretical purposes, India are the favourites heading into their must-win Super Eights fixture against Zimbabwe at the T20 World Cup, in Chennai on Thursday (February 25, 2026). Google hands the defending champions a 93 per cent chance of victory in proof of that assertion. But anybody who has followed the visitors' inspirational campaign would recognize the banana peel possibilities that lie ahead.

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The Chevrons have gone from having to play the sub-regional qualifiers, to dismantling the mighty Australia in the tournament proper and finishing as unbeaten Group B toppers. They did suffer a crushing 107-run loss to West Indies in their Super Eights opener, but Sikandar Raza's men can nevertheless hold their heads high with the way they have performed on the big stage.

Topsy-Turvy History

For Zimbabwe cricket, it has been a long and chequered road leading up to the landmark 2026 display. An Alistair Campbell-led team registered historic Test series victories over India (at home) as well as Pakistan (away) in 1998, before making a splash at the 1999 ODI World Cup, where they almost got to the semi-finals.

But things went downhill in the new millennium amid political strife, as Robert Mugabe's presidency drew widespread criticism and protests. So much so that 14 senior players quit over political interference in the national cricket team, and in 2006, Zimbabwe withdrew its own Test status.

The self-imposed exile ended in 2011, and Brendan Taylor spearheaded the side to a big win over Bangladesh straight away. But that was a rare spark in a period of dismal results, also marked by the cricket board's massive financial struggles.

The lowest point perhaps arrived in 2019, when the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended Zimbabwe in July 2019 for "government interference" in its running of the sport. ICC funding was frozen and the nation banned from participating at the global governing body-organized events. This led to the African nation missing out on the 2021 T20 showpiece as well.

In between all the disappointments, what kept the team going was individual brilliance from star players like the illustrious Flower brothers (Andy and Grant), former captain Heath Streak, the diminutive wicketkeeper-batter Tatenda Taibu and fast bowler Henry Olonga. Hardly any of these titans had happy endings, however.

Streak passed away aged 49 owing to advanced colon and liver cancer while Olonga, the country's first black cricketer, paid the price for donning a black armband during the 2003 World Cup. Both Olonga and Andy Flower had to flee the country, and the seamer moved to England before turning to singing, appearing on talent show 'The Voice' in 2019.

"I'm a forgotten person as far as the world of cricket goes," Olonga told BBC Sport in 2023. "With each passing decade, it might grow in significance. The closer to death people get, the more they're celebrated, I suppose. When they pass it's 'they're amazing - he was such a brave man'. For the first 20 years - or 17, anyway, until Mugabe died - I felt like the most hated man in Zimbabwe."

Bright Future

The politically scarred past and the cricket board's fight to stay afloat make Zimbabwe's recent upswing all the more remarkable. It's quite the turnaround, even considering the previous few years' results.

The team had missed out on an automatic berth for the 2024 T20 World Cup and ended up not qualifying via the regional route either, becoming the only Test-playing nation not participating. This also meant that they had to start afresh, going through the sub-regional qualifiers to make their way back into the marquee tournament in 2026.

There has been no looking back since! Who would have imagined that the African outfit could knock out Australia in the group stage and topple Sri Lanka from the top spot to boot?

"I remember when we were told that we had to play the sub-regional Qualifier B in Kenya," Raza said after entering the Super Eights with a washout against Ireland. He added: "I remember sitting down with the squad and said either we feel sorry for ourselves and be ashamed or actually understand the reality, and the reality is it is because of us we are in this mess and it's only us who can get us out.

"We all got together and worked towards a singular goal, which was to win the qualifiers, get to the World Cup and then write our own history and story. We all unanimously agreed that, yes, it was our own fault because we kept most of the same squad and … (it was) only us could get us out."

They did, and spectacularly at that. While 39-year-old Raza has been the fulcrum around which Zimbabwe have revolved, the return of former skipper Graeme Cremer, also 39, has given him leadership support. Complementarily, towering seamer Blessing Muzarabani has revitalized their bowling attack with 11 wickets from four games.

Raza put the success in apt context: "Yes, our country does deserve more respect and recognition, and us as cricketers also deserve more respect, and we can only do that by doing X, Y, Z.

"We all sat down and laid down a plan. Along the way (we knew) we'd have bad games and lot of criticism would come our way. But if we stayed true to our plan and kept trusting each other and created a better culture and environment for our team to thrive in, we'd be fine. To see the results after almost two years is certainly very pleasing."