The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), on Tuesday (August 15), announced that England will host Zimbabwe for one Test in May 2025. It will be the first Test between the two teams since 2003.
England and Zimbabwe have played six Tests against each other so far. The first meeting between the two teams in the longest format of the game took place in the 1996/97 season when Zimbabwe hosted England for two Tests. The series had ended in a 0-0 draw.
Later in 2000 and 2003, Zimbabwe traveled to England and played two Tests in each series. England won both the series against the African country. During the 2003 series between them, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson made his Test debut in the first Test at Lord’s. He had gone on to claim 5-73 in the first innings.
England vs Zimbabwe Test in 2025:
More than two decades after the last Test match between them, England and Zimbabwe will renew their rivalry in red-ball cricket once again. The ECB announced that England will host Zimbabwe for a four-day Test from 28-31 May 2025. The venue for the game is yet to be decided. Both ECB and Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) recently held discussions to forge closer relations between the two cricket boards and the Test will be a big step towards it.
“We are delighted to be able to host Zimbabwe for a Men’s Test match for the first time in two decades. Zimbabwe has a proud cricket history and have produced world-class players and coaches who have enriched the game across the world.
“We are committed to developing a closer relationship with Zimbabwe Cricket and the announcement of this Test against our England Men’s team is a step in that ambition.
“This summer’s Ashes series showcased all that is great about Test cricket and, while we must be mindful of the demands of world cricket’s schedule, we also want to help grow Test cricket and find opportunities to play more nations where we can,” said ECB Chief Executive Officer Richard Gould.
“We are absolutely delighted to be playing bilateral cricket in England for the first time in over two decades after we agreed to play a Test match in May 2025.
“The significance and magnitude of this tour cannot be over-emphasised, and I would like to say a huge thank you to the ECB for committing to the resumption of cricketing relations between our countries that date back to the introduction of the game in Zimbabwe in the 1890s.
“The experience of playing a Test match against a top team like England is massive for the current generation of our players, coming at a time when our game as a whole is on an upward trajectory.
“This will be a historic tour for everyone involved with cricket in Zimbabwe and we are already looking forward to some exciting action on the field of play,” ZC Managing Director Givemore Makoni said.
Earlier this year in June, England hosted Ireland for a 4-day Test before taking on Australia in the five-match Ashes series. The Ben Stokes-led side has transformed itself into arguably the most exciting Test team in the world and its performance in the Ashes was a testament to that. England bounced back from 0-2 down to draw the series.
