Australia’s men’s team arrives in Zimbabwe this September for a three match ODI series, their first bilateral ODI visit to the country in more than a decade. The series runs from September 15 to September 20, 2026, and forms the opening leg of a much longer African assignment that sees Australia move straight on to South Africa afterward for three more ODIs across Durban, Johannesburg and Potchefstroom, followed by a three match Test series as part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle. Australia have already named their squad, with captain Mitchell Marsh and opener Travis Head returning after sitting out the ODI tour of Pakistan and Bangladesh, and Marnus Labuschagne axed after a lean run across formats.
For Zimbabwe, this is their second major home series of the year after hosting India for a T20I series in July, and it lands at a pointed moment given Zimbabwe is set to co-host the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup alongside South Africa and Namibia.
What is the full match schedule?
| Match | Date | Venue | Local Start Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI | September 15, 2026 | Harare Sports Club | 9:30 am |
| 2nd ODI | September 18, 2026 | Harare Sports Club | 9:30 am |
| 3rd ODI | September 20, 2026 | Harare Sports Club | 9:30 am |
All three matches are set at the same venue and start time, which also lines up with South African and Zimbabwean standard time given the shared time zone.
Where will the series be played?
All three ODIs are being hosted at Harare Sports Club, the same ground that welcomed India for their T20I tour earlier this year. There is no venue rotation for this series, which keeps logistics simple for a squad that is using this tour as the first stop on a longer, ten day plus trip through southern Africa.
How can fans in India watch this series?
India is not part of this series, so coverage is expected to follow this pattern:
- FanCode is the most likely streaming option for Indian viewers, having picked up rights for several recent Zimbabwe hosted bilateral series involving non Indian teams.
- Cricket Australia’s usual broadcast partners will cover the tour for Australian audiences.
- Zimbabwean viewers can expect local telecast through ZBC.
As with most series that do not feature India, exact streaming details for Indian audiences tend to firm up only a week or two before the first match, so check FanCode again closer to September 15.
What do the Australia and Zimbabwe squads look like?
Australia have named a 17 member squad that covers both the Zimbabwe and South Africa legs of the tour, with a few players joining only for the South Africa leg once the ODIs move into their Test build-up window.
Australia squad
- Mitchell Marsh (captain)
- Travis Head
- Alex Carey
- Josh Inglis
- Cameron Green
- Cooper Connolly
- Matthew Renshaw
- Joel Davies
- Oliver Peake
- Xavier Bartlett
- Nathan Ellis
- Josh Hazlewood
- Spencer Johnson
- Billy Stanlake
- Adam Zampa
- Pat Cummins (South Africa leg only)
- Mitchell Starc (South Africa leg only)
Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped after a poor 50 over tour of Pakistan and Bangladesh, opening the door for uncapped names Joel Davies and Oliver Peake to press their case. Cummins and Starc will sit out the Zimbabwe leg entirely and join the squad only once it moves on to South Africa, with both bowlers using the extra rest to build toward the Test series against the Proteas in October.
Zimbabwe squad
Zimbabwe Cricket had not confirmed its squad at the time of writing. Going by their recent T20I series against India, expect the hosts to lean on their core group of Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams and Brian Bennett, with the squad announcement typically landing a week or so before the first ODI.
What kind of pitch and conditions should fans expect?
Harare in September sits in Zimbabwe’s dry season, which typically produces fast, bouncy surfaces at Harare Sports Club. The ground rewards pace bowlers early and batters willing to trust the bounce through the middle overs. Sitting at altitude, the surface tends to help the ball carry through to the keeper, which can make scoring easier once batters settle in. Dew is rarely a major factor at this time of year given the dry conditions, so both captains are likely to make decisions based more on pitch read than moisture underfoot.
Why this series matters
For Australia, this tour doubles as a valuable scouting mission ahead of the 2027 World Cup, since conditions at Harare and the wider region will closely mirror what teams face during the tournament itself. For Zimbabwe, competing well against the reigning 50 over world champions on home soil would be a significant statement as they build towards playing World Cup cricket in front of their own fans for the first time.
Lucky Raina is a complete cricket writer chasing corporate dreams by day and cricket stories by night. Once a promising Under 16 cricketer, life took him down a different pitch but the love for the game never left.
