Zimbabwe host Australia in the first ODI of Australia’s 2026 tour at Harare Sports Club on Tuesday 15 September, with a morning start.
Zimbabwe had not announced their side when this preview was prepared. Australia are led by Mitchell Marsh and the expected XI features Josh Inglis, Cooper Connolly, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey and Cameron Green in the batting, with Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Zampa and Tanveer Sangha forming the bowling group. Their wider squad includes Travis Head, Josh Hazlewood, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Renshaw, Oliver Peake, Billy Stanlake and Joel Davies.
The new ball may move, so the first part of the innings could be tricky. Batting should ease once players settle, though the pitch can slow. Pacers with variations may be effective in the middle and death overs. A total of 255 or more is competitive and 270 would be strong, so a chase above 260 could be hard.
