West Indies to tour Zimbabwe for two Tests starting February 4

The West Indies  will kick off 2023 by touring Zimbabwe for a bilateral series comprising two Tests. Both matches are scheduled to be played at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. The tour kicks off from February 4 onwards.

The upcoming fixture does not hold much relevance for the Windies as they are already out of the WTC final race. The team from the Caribbean occupies the sixth position on the points table with a PCT of 40.91% and with the competition heating up between the top four sides, the Windies do not even have an outside chance this time around. They were recently blanked 0-2 by Australia down under. 

Here’s the itinerary of West Indies tour of Zimbabwe 2022-23

Ahead of the Test series, the West Indies will be playing a four-day warm-up match against a local side from January 28 to 31. While the first Test match will be played from February 4 onwards, the second and final game will be played from February 12.

The last time Zimbabwe had played a Test match was back in July 2021 in Harare against Bangladesh and they would be looking to make the most of their home advantage against the Windies.

The directors of both the cricket boards have expressed enthusiasm and are eagerly awaiting for the tour to get underway.

“The tour to Zimbabwe early in 2023 will be an important part of our 2023 Test programme, which also includes series against South Africa and India. Having produced some good results early in 2022, the team will be eager to begin the year with strong performances in Zimbabwe,” said Jimmy Adams, CWI’s Director of Cricket as quoted in the Cricket West Indies' press release.

“We are pleased to confirm the West Indies will be visiting us for two Test matches that will be played in Bulawayo,”  Zimbabwe's director of cricket Hamilton Masakadza said.

“Although it’s been a while since we last played Test cricket, our boys will be hungry and ready for some red-ball action and I believe an exciting series against one of the game’s top sides is on the cards,” he added.

West Indies tour of Zimbabwe:

28-31 January: four-day warm-up match at Bulawayo Athletic Club

4-8 February: 1st Test at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo

12-16 February: 2nd Test at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo