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Message: [QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 81747, member: 636"] Zimbabwe’s cricket squad got lots of playing time this year but not many wins. The national team played a heavy schedule, including ten Test matches, securing two victories for their first Test wins in four years. However, they also endured eight losses, with five of those being crushing innings defeats that highlighted a persistent gap with top-tier teams. Their efforts came as they pushed for inclusion in the World Test Championship, playing just one fewer Test than Australia this year. The story improved in shorter formats. After missing the last T20 World Cup, Zimbabwe successfully qualified for the 2026 tournament. Stability off the field helped, with head coach Justin Sammons and his staff providing consistency. Emerging talent like top order batter Brian Bennett, who scored maiden centuries across all three international formats, and record-setting left arm seamer Richard Ngarava, signaled a promising future. Veteran players also shone. Sikandar Raza climbed to number one in the ICC T20 all-rounder rankings, while Craig Ervine was a reliable run scorer in Tests. Brendan Taylor made a successful return from a lengthy ban. Yet the year held tragedy for Sean Williams, the team's best Test batter, whose national contract was terminated when he entered a drug rehabilitation program. The women's team marked progress by playing their first scheduled series in years and will compete in the upcoming T20 World Cup qualifiers. The clear high point was securing that T20 World Cup qualification, with Taylor's century against Botswana being a key moment. The low point was a brutally one-sided Test series against South Africa, featuring a massive individual score from stand-in captain Wiaan Mulder, followed by an even heavier defeat to New Zealand. Final records for the year show the men's team at two Test wins and eight losses, two ODI wins against three losses, and ten T20I victories with thirteen losses. The women's team finished with three ODI wins and five losses, plus seven T20I wins and six losses. [/QUOTE]

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