The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will be hosting bilateral cricket against Zimbabwe after two decades as they announced Men’s Test match in May 2025.
England to host Zimbabwe in four-day Test
England will host Zimbabwe in May 2025 for a four-day Test, which will be the first test between the teams since 2003. The game is scheduled to play between May 28 and May 31 next year, but the venue is not confirmed yet.
The last time England and Zimbabwe met at Chester-le-street, where England won by an innings and 69 runs winning the series 2-0.
The first test of their last meetup was the Test debut of pacer James Anderson. He was 21 years old on his Test debut, where he picked five wickets for 73 in the first innings. James Anderson had planned on retiring in 2019 which was later reversed by his wife’s intervention.
England and Zimbabwe had played a total of six Test matches, in which England had won three and the rest resulted in a tie.
The ECB Chief Executive Officer Richard Goul said, “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.”
Zimbabwe Cricket Managing Director Givemore Makoni said, “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-emphasized, 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.”
England is the only team of the 12 ICC members not to play Zimbabwe in a bilateral series on 2022-27 FTP. On the other hand, England has five home Tests against India in 2025 summer.
