Zimbabwe go “back to basics” for Test challenge in the UAE
SHARJAH – Zimbabwe head coach Justin Sammons says his side must return to the fundamentals of red-ball cricket as they switch focus from the white-ball formats to a two-Test series against Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates.
The two-match series begins in Sharjah on Thursday and follows six white-ball encounters between the teams: three One-Day Internationals, including the tri-series final, and three T20 Internationals.
“From a transition point of view, it’s pretty much going back to basics and making sure we can execute those basics for long periods. That’s going to be the challenge,” Sammons told Cricket Africa.
The Zimbabwe coach noted that both sides will field significantly different squads for the longer format.
“They’ve already played a Test against Bangladesh before the One-Day series started, and their Test team is very different from their T20 team. I think only two players from their T20 side stay on for the Tests, whereas we only lose two players, so it’s completely the opposite,” he said.
Zimbabwe will take confidence from their only previous Test meeting with Afghanistan, which they won in Harare in October 2025. Ben Curran starred in that match with a century, scoring 121.
One of the bright spots of Zimbabwe’s tour has been left-arm seamer Newman Nyamhuri. The 20-year-old claimed a career-best four for
