Brendan Taylor returns as Zimbabwe announce squad for Sri Lanka T20Is

Harare: Zimbabwe on Tuesday announced their 16-member squad for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, starting Wednesday with Brendan Taylor and Sean Williams making a much-anticipated return.

Taylor is set to play all three international formats within a month following the end of his ban for breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption code. 

He recently featured in Zimbabwe’s Test against New Zealand and the ODI series against Sri Lanka, which concluded on Sunday. His last T20I appearance was in April 2021 against Pakistan in Harare.

Williams, who last played a T20I in May 2024, also returns to the shortest format ahead of the Africa regional qualifiers for the 2026 T20 World Cup later this month. 

Zimbabwe will face Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda, with two World Cup spots up for grabs.

The team had missed out on the 2024 T20 World Cup after failing to finish in the top two of the Africa Region Qualifier, suffering defeats against Namibia and Uganda.

For the upcoming T20Is against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe left out Newman Nyamhuri, Wessly Madhevere, Vincent Masekesa, and Tafadzwa Tsiga, who were part of the tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand in July. 

Fast bowler Brad Evans and top-order batter Tadiwanashe Marumani return alongside Taylor and Williams.

Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka have faced each other in only six T20Is to date. Their last series, in January 2024, ended 2-1 in Sri Lanka’s favor, after Zimbabwe had leveled the series with a win in the second match.

Zimbabwe's T20I squad vs Sri Lanka:

Sikandar Raza (capt), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Brad Evans, Trevor Gwandu, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sean Williams