SHARJAH – Brian Vitori, the left-arm paceman, is a late inclusion in the Zimbabwe squad for a limited-overs series against Afghanistan that gets underway on Monday with a Twenty 20 International at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Apart from Vitori, who was recently cleared by the International Cricket Council to resume bowling in international cricket following remedial work and reassessment of his bowling action.
Ryan Burl, the middle-order batsman, also made a comeback to the side. Meanwhile, Chris Mpofu, Ryan Murray and Brandon Mavuta have all returned home after touring Bangladesh last month.
“I am very pleased as the captain to have someone of Brian’s ability in my side,” said Graeme Cremer, the Zimbabwe captain. ‘He is a true competitor. He brings great strength and versatility to our seam bowling attack, and we look forward to seeing him on the park again.”
The tour, which includes five One-Day Internationals after the two-match T20I series, with all matches played in Sharjah, is crucial for Zimbabwe as they get ready for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2018, which will be held in their country in March.
“We could not have asked for better preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier than this series, coming hard on the heels of the Bangladesh tour,” Cremer said.
“Facing Afghanistan, who are in the same group as us in the qualifiers, makes it even better and we are looking to do well against them and then hopefully carry that momentum into the tournament on home soil.”