Australia announce Zimbabwe ODIs to prepare for 2027 World Cup

World Cup defending champions Australia will renew their rivalry on the African continent before the ICC ODI World Cup 2027, which is scheduled to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

They might not have had the record of winning continuously in T20Is, yet they have managed to be one of the most dominant sides in the ODI and Test formats. They have been the finalists of the WTC over the last two seasons and will also be contending for a final spot in the upcoming WTC 2027 Final.

The 2023 ODI World Cup defending champions will arrive in South Africa as one of the toughest opponents in 2027. They have hence revealed a schedule where they would be playing in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Australia returns to a red-ball series in South Africa for the first time since the sandpaper incident in 2018.

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Australia renews rivalry with Zimbabwe ahead of 2027 WC

Australia will be renewing their rivalry with the Chevrons and will have the opportunity to reset their white-ball credentials with the confirmation of a three-match ODI tour in September.

Zimbabwe has consistently proven to be a thorn in the side for Australian outfits in recent times. Most recently, Australia's T20 team faced a crushing defeat at the hands of Zimbabwe in the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Australia, as a result, faced an embarrassing group stage exit.

The Australian 50-over side lost the last time they faced Zimbabwe in the final ODI clash back in September 2022 in Townsville. Zimbabwe had shocked the Aussies with a three-wicket victory, which ended the home series in a 2-1 defeat.

Australia tour of Zimbabwe 2026

• First ODI: September 15, Harare Sports Club
• Second ODI: September 18, Harare Sports Club
• Third ODI: September 20, Harare Sports Club

Australia's tour of South Africa will follow the Zimbabwe series

Like Zimbabwe will be the co-host of the ICC World Cup in 2027, South Africa and Namibia will also act as the co-hosts of the competition. While fixtures are still far away from being announced, they might return to the same venue, Harare Sports Club, for some of the World Cup games.

This series will be followed by another three ODI matches against South Africa to be played in Durban, Johannesburg and Potchefstroom. These series are largely important in the context of next year's Men's ICC ODI World Cup 2027.

Australia tour of South Africa 2026

• First ODI: September 24, Kingsmead Stadium, Durban
• Second ODI: September 27, Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
• Third ODI: September 30, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom (D/N)
• Warm-up match: October 3-4, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
• First Test: October 9-13, Kingsmead Stadium, Durban
• Second Test: October 18-22, St George’s Park, Gqeberha
• Third Test: October 27-31, Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town

Australia's high win percentage has not been reflected in recent ICC tournaments

Australia won the previous ICC ODI World Cup back in 2023, but ever since then, the Aussies have not had the same record in the other ICC tournaments. In the T20 World Cups, it is a very different story. George Bailey, the head of the national selectors, also said that plenty more is to be done.

"I think the big reflection is that it's a couple of World Cups now where our performances in bilateral (series) leading up to it have been incredibly strong, a really high win percentage and strong performances across the board, and then that hasn't quite translated to World Cups," Bailey told reporters on Wednesday.

"So why that is, we will continue digging into and refining and trying to get that better," he added. Australia's last World Cup victory came in 2023 where they won the 6th title, while their only T20 World Cup triumph came in 2021 in the UAE.

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