In a way, Zimbabwe have spent much of James Anderson’s 21-year, 188-Test career looking in form the outside. They were there at the very beginning, being the opposition on his Test debut at Lord’s in 2003. And then, quite suddenly, they were gone. That series remains the last time Zimbabwe played England in Test cricket.
England’s Test Summer is back!
– One off Test vs Zimbabwe
– 5 Test vs India📷 ECB via Getty Images pic.twitter.com/cCZY3A5qoc
— CricketGully (@thecricketgully) May 21, 2025
Now, more than two decades later, they are back in the United Kingdom. There will be no Anderson charging in from the Pavilion End; it’s almost coming to a year since he retired. There will be no Nasser Hussain walking out in captain’s blazer; he will instead be behind a microphone in the commentary box. What awaits Zimbabwe isn’t familiarity but a return to the rhythms of Test cricket, a format they’ve been busy at this year.
Zimbabwe began the year with Tests against Afghanistan, Ireland and Bangladesh, even registering a memorable win in Sylhet, but the road ahead only gets steeper. Starting now at Trent Bridge, they enter a phase of high-stakes Test cricket against the bigger teams, with home series against South Africa and New Zealand to follow. How they cope and hold themselves together could shape the narrative of their rebuilding chapter.
It is no doubt going to be a steep challenge for the visitors. A 138-run defeat in their warm-up game against a modest County Select XI has already underlined the gap and stepping up against England’s Test side will be an entirely different proposition.
England would be wise to not underestimate Zimbabwe This is not the seasoned, swaggering bowling unit of the Anderson-Broad years. Experience in the bowling department is thin, the batting has blown hot and cold, and their captain Ben Stokes, who’s coming back after a hamstring surgery, is unlikely to offer the full all-round package. The team, as a whole, hasn’t also captured the public’s imagination lately and it’s no surprise then that head coach Brendon McCullum has called for “a bit of humility” and for the side to reconnect with the fans once more. A commanding win over Zimbabwe will go a long way in doing just that.
England playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), James Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Sam Cook, Shoaib Bashir
Zimbabwe probable XI: Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Nick Welch, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine(c), Wessly Madhevere, Tafadzwa Tsiga(w), Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri, Blessing Muzarabani
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