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Brandon Moyo, Sport Reporter

ZIMBABWE hosts Afghanistan in the first game of the historic two-match Test series at Queens Sports Club.

The series marks a momentous occasion for Zimbabwean cricket as the country is hosting its first Boxing Day Test at home in 28 years.

This game will be followed by Zimbabwe’s inaugural New Year’s Test, scheduled for 2-6 January 2025.

To date, the country has hosted only one Boxing Day Test, when Zimbabwe faced England in 1996 in a drawn match severely affected by rain at Harare Sports Club.

Since then, Zimbabwe’s only other Boxing Day Tests have been played away from home – against New Zealand in Wellington in 2000 and against South Africa in the inaugural pink-ball, day-night, four-day Test in Port Elizabeth in 2017.

Zimbabwe also played Sri Lanka in a Test that started on December 27, 2001, in Colombo.

Zimbabwe has never played a New Year’s Test, either at home or abroad.

Given the significance of these events, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) announced that spectators will enjoy free entry to Queens Sports Club for the red-ball series.

“This is an extraordinary milestone for Zimbabwe Cricket and our fans. By offering free entry, we want to share this historic occasion with as many cricket lovers as possible, creating an electric atmosphere to inspire our players and celebrate the spirit of the game,” said ZC Managing Director Givemore Makoni.

Interestingly, the last time either side won a Test match was against each other back in 2021. The series ended 1-1.

Team News:

Trevor Gwanu, Newman Nyamhuri and Ben Curran make their debuts for Zimbabwe.

AM Ghazanfar and Sediqullah Atal are Afghanistan’s new debutants.

Toss:

Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat first