Zimbabwe have recalled 39-year-old former captain Graeme Cremer for their T20I series against Afghanistan.
Graeme Cremer in line for first Zimbabwe appearance since 2018
On Friday, Zimbabwe Cricket announced their squad for the three-match home series against Afghanistan, set to take place from October 29 to November 2 at the Harare Sports Club.
The headline news is the return of leg spinner Graeme Cremer, who last played for Zimbabwe in 2018. Debuting in Test cricket in 2005, Cremer has played 19 Tests, 96 ODIs and 29 T20Is thus far. His last international cap was an ODI against UAE on March 22, 2018. His last T20I was against Afghanistan on February 6, the same year.
Cremer also captained Zimbabwe in eight Tests, 35 ODIs and five T20Is between 2016 and 2018. He was sacked as skipper in 2018, after they failed to progress from the Qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup.
In early 2019, Cremer relocated to Dubai after his wife, Merna Moore, accepted a pilot position with Emirates Airlines. He was a consultant for the UAE team for their tour to Zimbabwe later that year, and Cremer was also briefly the director of the Rajasthan Royals Cricket Academy in Dubai. He recently returned to action in Zimbabwe's National Premier League, the domestic 45-over club competition, after announcing his re-availability for national selection. If/when he plays in this series, Cremer will break Cephas Zhuwao's Zimbabwe record for the longest interval between T20I appearances.
Also read: South Africa squad update: Stand-in skipper, fast bowler ruled out of Pakistan tour
The other notable piece of news from the squad announcement is the absence of senior all-rounder Sean Williams. Zimbabwe Cricket's statement read, "All-rounder Sean Williams remains unavailable as he continues to attend to personal matters."
Zimbabwe T20I squad for Afghanistan series
Batters: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers.
Wicketkeepers: Clive Madande, Brendan Taylor.
All-rounders: Sikandar Raza (c), Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa.
Bowlers: Graeme Cremer, Brad Evans, Tinotenda Maposa, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava.
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