Leicester, May 13 Zimbabwe held their first training session in Leicester on Monday since arriving in England for a landmark Test match against the hosts, scheduled to take place at Trent Bridge in Nottingham from May 22 to 25. The one-off fixture marks Zimbabwe’s return to the longest format on English soil for the first time in over two decades.
Before taking on England, Zimbabwe will fine-tune their preparations with a four-day warm-up match against a First-Class Counties XI from May 15 to 18 at the Uptonsteel County Ground in Leicester.
Zimbabwe head coach Justin Sammons said the players were in good spirits following their first training session at their temporary base. “Good day. Obviously, we had a long journey from Harare to Leicestershire. So, you know, Sunday was a day off in terms of our recovery – Curtly (Diesel, the strength and conditioning coach) had the guys switched on to that,” he said.
“And then today was our first session out in the field and the nets. I think it was excellent. Just a nice technical session. Guys are ticking their boxes there. So, yeah, happy with the way it went.”
Despite the long travel and unfamiliar conditions, Sammons said the players were embracing the challenge of competing in one of Test cricket’s most prestigious settings.
“They’ve got great energy. The group is really excited. I mean, I don't think you can get anything better than coming and playing Test cricket in England,” he said. “So, you know, I think it's just naturally energising the group, and they are super excited to get going. Super excited!”
The return to England comes at a time when Zimbabwe are rebuilding their red-ball programme, coming hard on the heels of a hard-fought one-all series draw against Bangladesh.
“It’s why you play the game. You want to play against the best and, obviously, England are one of the best Test teams in the world,” Sammons said. “And it gives us a gauge as to where we are and what we need to do moving forward.
“But the guys have a real belief that they belong, and I'm looking forward to seeing them go out there with their chests puffed out and walking out there like they do belong in the space.”
With 10 days of build-up before the Nottingham Test, including the four-day warm-up match, Sammons is confident Zimbabwe will be well prepared for the occasion.
“I think our preparation is excellent. We’ve got 10 days ahead of us of good prep. So, yeah, I don’t think we could ask for anything more than that,” he said. “It’s great to get a warm-up game, which is exciting. And then, obviously, as we head into Nottingham, a couple more practices there. So, yeah, like I said, from a preparation point of view, I don't think we can complain.”
Following the Test against England, Zimbabwe will take on South Africa in a four-day encounter from June 3 to 6 at Arundel, a match that will serve as crucial preparation for the Proteas ahead of their ICC World Test Championship final against Australia, set to take place at Lord’s from June 11 to 15.
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