๐ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ ๐๐
England
Zimbabwe
England will face Zimbabwe in a four-day Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. This will be the only Test match of Zimbabweโs tour of England. The two teams last played a Test series in 2003, where England won both matches. Since their first-ever meeting in 1996, they have played 5 Test matches. England have won 3, while 2 have ended in draws.
Zimbabwe have never defeated England in a Test match. They will return to Test cricket in England after more than two decades. Zimbabwe will look to put up a fight as they aim to rebuild their red-ball presence. England, playing at home, will start as favourites with a very settled Test squad.
Zimbabweโs last Test win against any opponent came in April 2025 against Bangladesh. On the other hand, England have remained strong in home Tests, especially with their bowling attack.
Joe Root is one of the best Test batters of this generation, and batting in home conditions against Zimbabweโs inexperienced bowling attack makes a score over 50 very likely.
The betting tip is...
1st Innings Joe Root Total - Over 50.5
61 %
39 %
EnglandZimbabweBen Stokes will return from injury to lead England in this one-off Test. Due to injuries to Brydon Carse, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, England will go with a fresh pace attack.
Gus Atkinson and Sam Cook will open the bowling. Josh Tongue and Matt Potts will complete the four-seamer setup. Shoaib Bashir is unlikely to play with England, expected to go without a specialist spinner.
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett will open the innings. Ollie Pope will bat at No. 3 in the absence of Jacob Bethell, who remains unavailable due to IPL commitments. Joe Root will bat at No. 4, followed by England's new white-ball captain Harry Brook at No. 5. Ben Stokes will come in at No. 6. Jamie Smith will keep wickets and bat at No. 7.
Root, Duckett and Pope are the key batters in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Matt Potts, Sam Cook, Josh Tongue
Zimbabwe will play this Test after a 138-run loss in the warm-up match against County XI. Nick Welch and Tafadzwa Tsiga scored second-innings fifties but could not avoid defeat. In the first innings, Brian Bennett, Sean Williams and Tsiga scored half-centuries. Wessly Madhevere made 93 runs before falling short of a hundred.
Newman Nyamhuri led the bowling with a 5-wicket haul in the warm-up game. Blessing Muzarabani and Wellington Masakadza will be Zimbabweโs main bowlers. Richard Ngarava is also expected to play a key role with the ball.
Brian Bennett, Sean Williams and Craig Ervine are the main batters in the side with the most runs in the last year. Blessing Muzarabani has 32 wickets in the last 10 innings. Wellington Masakadza and Richard Ngarava are the other experienced bowlers.
Williams, Bennett and Muzarabani are the key players on the side.
Predicted Lineup: Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Nicholas Welch, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (c), Wessly Madhevere, Tafadzwa Tsiga (wk), Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Newman Nyamhuri.
England will start as hot favourites in this Test. Their batting unit is full strength and experienced in home conditions. Joe Root will play a key role at No. 4. He has scored consistently in Tests, especially in England. Against Zimbabweโs inexperienced bowling attack, Root will have the chance to anchor the innings with any batter from his side.
Zimbabwe struggled in the warm-up match, and their bowlers gave away runs easily. The pace attack lacks experience in these conditions. Englandโs top order is settled and will aim to give a solid start. This will allow the middle order to build without pressure.
With Rootโs strong record at home and the gap in experience between the two sides, England are expected to dominate the first innings with the bat.
