Zimbabwe Women to host South Africa Women in historic four-match T20I series
Bulawayo, May 29
Zimbabwe Cricket on Friday announced that Zimbabwe Women will host South Africa Women for a five-match T20 International series at Queens Sports Club in September this year.
The matches are scheduled for 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 September, with all fixtures set to be played at the Bulawayo venue, as per ZC's website.
The forthcoming tour marks the first-ever visit to Zimbabwe by the senior South Africa Women's side, making the series a landmark occasion for women's cricket in the region.
Zimbabwe Women last played a home series in September-October 2025, when they hosted the United Arab Emirates Women in a bilateral contest also staged at Queens Sports Club.
Since then, Zimbabwe Women have played exclusively away from home, including major tours of New Zealand and Pakistan.
Although Zimbabwe Women have faced South Africa Women's Emerging team on several occasions, the two sides have met only twice before at the senior level - during an ODI quadrangular series held in Potchefstroom, South Africa, in May 2017.
The series comes at an important stage in Zimbabwe Women's rebuilding process following a disappointing campaign at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier 2026, held in Nepal in January and February.
South African women are one of the leading forces in international cricket. Currently ranked fifth in the ICC Women's T20I Team Rankings, they have established remarkable consistency in the shortest format, finishing as runners-up at the last two editions of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
ZC Managing Director Givemore Makoni said hosting one of the world's top teams represented another important milestone in the growth of women's cricket in the country.
"We are pleased to welcome South Africa Women to Zimbabwe for what promises to be a historic and exciting series," he said.
"South Africa is one of the strongest teams in world cricket, and this tour presents our players with a valuable opportunity to test themselves against elite opposition in home conditions. This series reflects Zimbabwe Cricket's continued commitment to investing in the women's game and creating more opportunities for our players to compete at the highest level," ZC Managing Director added.
"We believe these matches will contribute significantly to the development of our national team while also inspiring the next generation of women to take up the sport," he concluded.
T20I series schedule:
1st T20I - 11th September 2026 - Queens Sports Club2nd T20I - 13th September 2026 - Queens Sports Club3rd T20I - 17th September 2026 - Queens Sports Club4th T20I - 19th September 2026 - Queens Sports Club.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is a historic moment for Zimbabwe women's cricket. Hosting a team like South Africa, who have been runners-up in the last two T20 World Cups, will definitely raise the standard. Zimbabwe's rebuilding after the qualifier disappointment is crucial, and this series is a step in the right direction.
Excellent news for the region! South African women are genuinely world-class. It will be interesting to see how Zimbabwe's young players handle the pressure. This is exactly the kind of exposure they need. Hope the BCCI also arranges a similar series with neighbouring countries for our women's team soon!
Very positive development. Women's cricket in Africa is finally getting the attention it deserves. The only thing is - a 4-match series seems a bit short. Would have loved a 5-match ODI series as well for proper red-ball exposure. But baby steps, I suppose. Good luck to both teams! 🙌
This is brilliant for women's cricket in Zimbabwe. The fact that they last played at home in 2025 and have only toured away since shows how important home series are. Bulawayo is a great venue, and the crowd there is always passionate. Hope it's a competitive series - Zimbabwe can spring a surprise if they play fearless cricket!
Nice to see Zimbabwe Cricket investing in women's game. But I hope they don't just schedule matches and forget about grassroots development. Hosting South Africa is one thing, but regular domestic tournaments and proper coaching infrastructure are equally important. Still, this is a good start. 👌
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