Zimbabwe’s trouble-prone national cricket team is hoping to restore its battered image in world play next month when it will have the opportunity to contest five one-day international matches and a Twenty-20 international hosted by Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board announced the invitation Sunday in Dhaka.
The fairly new Twenty20 format speeds up play and shortens match duration - among other features, sides are limited to 80 minutes to get through their 20 overs.
Zimbabwe was barred from international test play after its performances deteriorated to a level considered unacceptable. The cricket team is relatively inexperienced due to resignations en masse by team veterans amid bitter disputes with management.
Zimbabwe's first black captain, Tatenda Taibu, quit in protest over the how the game was being run in the country, vowing not to return until management is overhauled.
Zimbabwe fell to the bottom rung in world cricket last week, trailing Bangladesh, so the invitation comes at a time when the squad badly needs to restore its credibility.
Reporter Marvellous Mhlanga-Nyahuye of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe turned to sports commentator Michael Kariati for perspective on the November matches.