Marsh plays 100th ODI as Australia open Zimbabwe series
Australia opened a three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe in Harare on Tuesday — their first white-ball tour of the country since 2014 — with captain Mitch Marsh playing his 100th ODI.
A first in over a decade
Australia's men's team began a three-match one-day series against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club on Tuesday, September 15, marking the touring side's first ODI visit to Zimbabwe since 2014, according to cricket.com.au. The fixture fell on a public holiday marking the President's Birthday, which organisers expected would draw a large crowd.
Captain Mitch Marsh won the toss and chose to bat first on a pitch locals described as unusually grassy, even though Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said he would have preferred to bowl. The match also marked Marsh's 100th ODI appearance.
Two key players missing
Australia went into the opener without two of its all-format stars. Cameron Green sat out with a sore shoulder; the team described the injury as not serious, though he was limited to running drills before play. Josh Hazlewood was rested, with selectors prioritising his fitness for next month's three-Test series against South Africa. Left-arm quick Spencer Johnson came in for his first ODI appearance in 18 months.
Zimbabwe buoyed by recent form
Zimbabwe have beaten Australia in their last two meetings — at this year's T20 World Cup in Colombo and in the third ODI of Australia's 2022 tour in Townsville. Raza said before the series that home conditions and crowd support would give his side an extra boost, while cautioning that past results carry no weight into the new series. Harare Sports Club is traditionally a low-scoring venue, with an average first-innings total of 231, and data from Cricviz shows Zimbabwe have been one of the most defensively minded ODI sides in the world since the 2023 World Cup.
Squad changes due to injuries
According to the ICC, regular Zimbabwe captain Richard Ngarava is unavailable because of a lower-back injury, leaving Raza in charge. Tanaka Chivanga also misses out with an Achilles tendon injury, while wicketkeeper Clive Madande is unavailable following Zimbabwe's July series against Bangladesh. Experienced campaigners Brendan Taylor and Graeme Cremer have returned to the squad. The series forms part of Zimbabwe's preparation for the 2027 Cricket World Cup, which it will co-host with South Africa and Namibia.
