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Zimbabwe have made it to their seventh Men’s T20 World Cup, after making it through at the Qualifier they hosted in Harare. Out of the event’s ten iterations, Zimbabwe have missed out on three. Two of them were beyond their control. 2009 was a withdrawal because the UK government banned Zimbabwe from entering the country, while exclusion from the 2020 edition was due to suspension following government interference with affairs of the Zimbabwe Cricket Board. Since the 2020 tournament, Zimbabwe have been forced into a qualifier. Until 2016, all full members enjoyed direct entry. Thus came the 2023 Qualifier, where Zimbabwe lost out to Uganda and Namibia. With the need for qualification via a tournament involving associate nations, Zimbabwe have now got to look at things differently and earn a direct entry for reasons of their own and the rest of Africa. We explore all this. Zimbabwe’s own development The harsh truth is that Zimbabwe has underperformed in this format. 64 wins in 179 matches, returns a 36.87% win rate, which makes for bad reading. This pattern of inconsistency is seen throughout most of Zimbabwe’s history, and it culminated in one of its lowest moments – that loss to Uganda in the 2023 Qualifiers in Windhoek. With better performances and direct entry, Zimbabwe could break the cycle of “qualifying stress”. Consistent exposure to the World Cup accelerates player development due to consistently facing better opposition. The African qualification bottleneck As it stands, Zimbabwe competes with Namibia and Uganda for two slots to the global showcase. If the Chevrons consistently qualified automatically, those two slots would open up for emerging nations. It would give more impetus for other nations on the continent to not just aspire but invest more with a real possibility of getting to the proverbial Promised Land. Tanzania and Kenya can more than dream of getting there. This accelerates African cricket’s overall growth. Also, four African nations at the World Cup would bring more interest in the game from the continent. Talent retention and attraction An ICC tournament every two years means guaranteed global showcase opportunities for talent. It also projects Zimbabwe cricket as a predictable and viable career path. When a talent feels they have a shot at making it to the World Cup because the Chevrons are always there, they see their future in cricket. Ultimately, it makes it easier to attract and retain talent and not lose them to other countries or codes. Commercial and financial impact When Zimbabwe are regularly at the World Cup, it results in increased value of the brand. The commercial value of the product goes up because the players become more familiar to audiences. TV rights become more competitive because people want to watch the national team. Fans want to attend matches because their superstars are already on a level of sorts. And with player visibility comes franchise contracts such as the IPL, BBL, SA20, PSL, ILT20 and the sots. Sikandar Raza is a prime example of this. Strategic value as opposition Regular appearance at the global showcase makes Zimbabwe attractive for bilateral series. Take the 2026 edition. Zimbabwe could not line up any preparation matches, which are the rage across the world right now, because they had not qualified. So being a reliable partner means more tours, which increases revenue and experience. It simply raises Zimbabwe’s profile beyond just World Cups. The Big Boy Mentality shift When you are always there, you cease being satisfied with being present and transition to ‘expecting to compete’. Automatic qualification removes the underdog tag. It forces higher standards and professionalism. Look at the way the Schellacking handed to the Chevrons by both New Zealand and South Africa changed the way they approached not just Test cricket but any other international format. Always being there shows you what standard you have to maintain to be one of the big boys. Zimbabwe need to play like they belong there. What needs doing is simple To achieve a lot of this, Zimbabwe need to go deep into tournaments, at least the Super 8s. In 2022, instead of securing a qualification placement, they surrendered to the Netherlands, losing out on direct entry into the next edition. And then Uganda would not have happened. It took that one match against a team they should have beaten. Another route is that rankings matter. In 2023, Zimbabwe lost too many matches unnecessarily, often when they had the opposition by the proverbials. That meant they finished in 11th when the cut-off period for direct qualification to the 2026 edition happened. With the United States making the Super 8s, they took that slot, and the team ranked 11th was bumped out. Ultimately, as a Test pride, sheer pride should drive the Chevrons there. It should never need to be more than that. Subscribe to Blog via Email
