Zimbabwe, SA, Namibia to play T20I tri-series; first step to Africa Cup

Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia will participate in a T20I tri-series in Windhoek from August 28. The tournament marks the first step towards launching the Africa Cup in 2027, a continental event aimed at boosting high-quality cricket.

Landmark T20I Tri-Series Announced

Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia will feature in a landmark T20I tri-series in Windhoek later this month, marking the first step towards the launch of the Africa Cup in 2027.

Scheduled from August 28 to September 6, the tournament is part of a wider effort to build regular, high-quality international cricket competition among African nations and strengthen cooperation across the continent, according to the Zimbabwe Cricket website.

Paving the Way for Africa Cup 2027

The initiative, led by Africa Cricket Association Chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani, is expected to pave the way for the Africa Cup, a flagship continental tournament aimed at providing African teams with a structured platform to compete at the highest level. The idea gained momentum during the 2026 ICC Africa Annual Conference in Windhoek, where cricket boards across the continent backed the creation of a sustainable competition focused on collaboration and high-performance cricket.

The Africa Cup will initially feature Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia, with plans to rotate hosting duties before expanding to include more African nations through a qualification pathway.

A New Chapter for African Cricket

Mukuhlani said the Windhoek tournament is a key first step towards launching the Africa Cup in 2027, with the aim of creating a sustainable continental competition that improves standards, strengthens collaboration and provides African teams a pathway to compete at a higher level. "This tournament marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for African cricket. By bringing Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia together in regular, competitive international cricket, we are laying the foundation for something much bigger for our continent. Our vision is to launch the Africa Cup in 2027 and gradually build it into African cricket's flagship international tournament. We want to create a sustainable competition that raises standards, strengthens collaboration and ultimately gives cricket nations across Africa a clear pathway to compete for a place on the continental stage," he said as quoted by the Zimbabwe Cricket website.

T20I Tri-Series Fixtures

28 August: South Africa v Namibia

29 August: South Africa v Zimbabwe

31 August: Zimbabwe v Namibia

1 September: Zimbabwe v South Africa

3 September: Namibia v Zimbabwe

4 September: Namibia v South Africa

6 September: Final (top two teams).

(ANI)

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