Nomvelo Sibanda to lead as Zimbabwe announce squad for Pakistan tour

HARARE: Nomvelo Sibanda will lead the side as Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) unveiled a new-look women’s squad for their upcoming white-ball tour of Pakistan. The 15-player squad features 10 new faces with only five players retained from the previous tour against New Zealand in March.

The six-match tour marks a historic milestone, as it will be Zimbabwe Women’s first-ever visit to Pakistan, with all matches set to be played at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.

The ODI series, scheduled for May 3, 6 and 9, forms part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2025-2029, while the T20I matches will follow on May 12, 14 and 15 . Nombelo is taking up the responsibility of leading the group after long-standing skipper Mary-Anne Musonda called time on her international career on Monday. She will be supported by experienced all-rounder Precious Marange, whose presence provides guidance to a relatively inexperienced squad.

Promising all-rounder Kelis Ndhlovu, who suffered a concussion during last month’s tour of New Zealand, has fully recovered and retains her place in the side. She is joined by fellow emerging talents Beloved Biza and Adel Zimunu.

Zimbabwe Women’s technical director for the tour, Steve Mangongo, who is also in charge of ZC’s Women’s High Performance Programme, said the changes were both deliberate and necessary as the team transitions into the demands of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) cricket.

 “Zimbabwe has taken a significant step into FTP cricket, and it’s important that we expose young talent to the international stage while broadening our player base. We took a hard, honest look at where we are after missing out on qualification in Nepal for the Women’s T20 World Cup,” Mangongo said in an official statement.

Due to the new strategy, Zimbabwe will be without several experienced names. Josephine Nkomo and Nyasha Gwanzura miss out due to injury, while Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano is unavailable due to personal commitments.

Additionally, Modester Mupachikwa, Chiedza Dhururu, Loreen Tshuma, Loryn Phiri and Tendai Makusha – all part of the New Zealand tour – have not been selected for the Pakistan trip. Christabel Chatonzwa and Audrey Mazvishaya are among the non-travelling reserves together with Passionate Monorwei. (IANS)

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