Zimbabwe’s preparations for next year’s ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup will continue in earnest this week with four one-day matches against Kenya Under-19s scheduled for Kwekwe while Zimbabwe A is set to face a South Africa Emerging side in two four-day matches and three one-day games.
The Zimbabwe Under 19 matches will be played on 3, 4, 6 and 7 August at Kwekwe Sports Club.
The Zimbabwe and West Indies Under-19 teams posed together for a picture before the third and final match of their youth one-day international series at Harare Sports Club
The Kenyan side is scheduled to land in Harare this Tuesday before proceeding to Kwekwe by road.
This tour comes hard on the heels of the Zimbabwe Under-19 side’s 2-1 series loss to the West Indies Under-19s in Harare.
Zimbabwe Cricket has stopped at nothing to ensure the national Under-19 side, coached by Stephen Mangongo, is well prepared for the 2018 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup to be held in New Zealand from 13 January to 3 February.
Before facing the West Indies, Zimbabwe whitewashed Namibia in a reciprocal series and also played as the High Performance Centre XI against Canada.
Mangongo’s charges were also involved in a tri-series in South Africa featuring the hosts and Sri Lanka, while the young Zimbabweans had earlier toured Malaysia.
After the one-day matches against Kenya, the Zimbabwe Under-19s are scheduled to tour Australia and India before going to the global showpiece.
Meanwhile, Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo will host the first four-day match, penciled in for 3-6 August.
The two sides will then move to Kwekwe for the second unofficial test, scheduled for 9-12 August, before proceeding to the capital for three limited-overs matches.
The one-day games are set for 16, 18 and 20 August – all at Harare Sports Club.
The South Africa Emerging squad is expected to arrive in Bulawayo this Tuesday.
