BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
ENGLISH first-class cricket side Derbyshire County Cricket Club is set for a historic tour of Zimbabwe in March where they will play six matches in Bulawayo as part of their pre-season preparations for the 2020 County Championship.
Derbyshire revealed in a statement yesterday that they had accepted an invitation by Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), and the team will compete across three formats in matches against select opposition during the three-week tour.
Former Zimbabwe cricket captain and coach Dave Houghton, who is now Derbyshire’s head of cricket said his side was looking forward to the tour, which they hope will encourage English county sides to tour the country in the future.
“We will be facing some strong opposition during the tour, which will provide ideal preparation for the 2020 season,” Houghton, who is widely acknowledged as one of Zimbabwe’s greatest players of all time, said.
“We also want to give the players some life experiences because as cricketers, we can become solely focused on the game sometimes and it important make the most of these opportunities.
“Hopefully this tour will open the door for further English County tours in future, which may help Zimbabwe Cricket, get back on its feet.”
Based mainly in Bulawayo for the duration of the three week tour, Derbyshire will play two three-day matches, two 50-over matches and two T20s against local select teams.
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The tour will begin on March 8 and run until March 29, with the 2020 County Championship season beginning three weeks later.
