Zimbabwe Names Raza to Lead ODI Squad Against Australia

Zimbabwe have named a 15-man squad for their ODI series against Australia, and it reads like a collision of eras.

Sikandar Raza, the heartbeat of their modern side, will captain in place of regular ODI skipper Richard Ngarava, who is sidelined with a lower-back injury. Raza’s elevation is no surprise; his influence with bat, ball and voice has grown with every series. Now he takes full command against one of the game’s superpowers.

The headline, though, belongs to two familiar names.

Graeme Cremer, once the face of Zimbabwe’s spin attack and a former captain, returns to the ODI fold for the first time since 2018. At 37, the leg-spinner is back where it all began for him on the big stage: facing Australia. His only previous ODI outing against them came at the 2011 World Cup, a lifetime ago in cricketing terms. Since then, he has fought his way back through the T20I setup, featuring at the T20 World Cup earlier this year and in the Namibia T20I tri-series. Now, Zimbabwe have turned to his guile again for the 50-over format.

If Cremer’s comeback is notable, Brendan Taylor’s presence is downright nostalgic.

The 40-year-old keeper-batter, Zimbabwe’s second-highest ODI run-scorer of all time, returns once more to the national colours. Taylor had already staged one comeback, playing two ODIs against Sri Lanka in 2025 after a four-year absence. He now sits just 81 runs shy of Andy Flower’s all-time ODI record for Zimbabwe. Every innings in this series will carry that extra layer of intrigue: can he climb past the great Flower against Australia, under the scrutiny of home crowds?

Zimbabwe have covered themselves behind the stumps. Tadiwanashe Marumani joins Taylor as the other wicketkeeping option, giving the hosts flexibility in how they balance experience and youth in the top order.

Not all the news is uplifting. Alongside Ngarava, senior seamer Tendai Chatara misses out through an Achilles tendon injury, stripping Zimbabwe of another seasoned operator with the new ball. Clive Madande, who kept wicket in the ODI series against Bangladesh in July, has not been selected this time, squeezed out as the selectors reshaped the squad around returning veterans.

The context adds weight to every selection call. Australia are touring for a three-match ODI series that will all be staged at Harare Sports Club, on 15, 18 and 20 September. The venue has not hosted Australia in an ODI since 2014, when the sides met in a triangular series that also featured South Africa. A long gap, a familiar opponent, and a Zimbabwe side blending old hands with current standard-bearers.

Raza’s captaincy, Cremer’s second act and Taylor’s chase of Flower’s record give this series a narrative that runs well beyond the scorecards. Now it falls to Zimbabwe to show whether this reunion of generations can unsettle Australia on Harare’s storied turf.