Zimbabwe will take on South Africa in a four-day warm-up match scheduled to start on Tuesday, 3 June, at Arundel Castle Cricket Ground in Sussex, England, as both teams continue their red-ball preparations ahead of crucial assignments. This fixture, coming on the back of Zimbabwe’s historic one-off Test against England at Trent Bridge last week, serves as a key part of South Africa’s build-up to the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia, which begins on 11 June at The Oval. For Zimbabwe, the warm-up encounter – to be played behind closed doors – also acts as a dress rehearsal ahead of their two-match Test series at home against South Africa, slated for June and July in Bulawayo. Led by seasoned captain Craig Ervine, Zimbabwe are expected to field a competitive side at Arundel. The team includes Brian Bennett, the 21-year-old opening batter who grabbed headlines with a record-breaking performance against England, registering Zimbabwe’s fastest-ever century in Test cricket. However, the team will be without three regulars – all-rounder Sikandar Raza and the pace duo of Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava – who are unavailable for this match. Their places have been filled by Tanunurwa Makoni, Vincent Masekesa and Alex Falao, all rewarded for their impressive domestic and international form. Makoni, a top-order batter with two Test caps, had a prolific season in the Logan Cup, where he notched up two centuries and three fifties, ranking among the tournament’s top four batters. Leg-spinner Masekesa, fresh off a five-wicket haul on Test debut in Bangladesh last month, was the leading bowler in the Logan Cup, reaffirming his credentials as one of Zimbabwe’s most promising spin options. Making up the trio of new inclusions is Alex Falao, a 21-year-old fast bowler who is yet to make his international debut but impressed with both the Zimbabwe ‘A’ side and in domestic cricket, where he finished among the top five wicket-takers in the Logan Cup. ZIMBABWE SQUAD FOR SOUTH AFRICA WARM-UP MATCH: Craig Ervine (captain), Brian Bennett, Tanaka Chivanga, Ben Curran, Alex Falao, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tanunurwa Makoni, Wellington Masakadza, Vincent Masekesa, Newman Nyamhuri, Victor Nyauchi, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Nicholas Welch, Sean Williams Subscribe to Blog via Email