Cricket World Cup qualifiers: Zimbabwe ready to shine again on and off the field

Zimbabwe coach Dave Houghton says the country is ready to shake off the "bad press" it still receives globally as it prepares to host the Cricket World Cup qualifiers which begin on Sunday.

West Indies and Sri Lanka are the strong favourites to qualify from the ten team competition with the hosts opening the tournament against Nepal in Harare.

Houghton, who played 22 Tests and 63 ODIs for his country, says there is a resurgence both on and off the field after a turbulent political period.

"It is very calm and very safe. I would say it's one of the safest countries in the world," Houghton told BBC Sport Africa.

"You don't have a problem going out at night. You go anywhere you want. The streets are good, the shops are good, the environment is good.

"Zimbabwe suffers from some incredibly bad press all around the world. And actually, when people come here, they're like: 'Wow! This isn't what we read about.'

"I think we're in a really good place. I think we're a good destination."

Zimbabwe, who also hosted the World Cup qualifiers in 2018 but failed to progress, will co-host the 2027 Cricket World Cup with South Africa and Namibia.

It marks a return to hosting global events for a country which also co-hosted the 2003 World Cup with South Africa but in which a black armband protest against the Robert Mugabe president was staged by Zimbabwe stars Andy Flower and Henry Olonga.

Years spent under sanctions imposed upon the country between 2002 and 2017, has been followed by some stability however the remains the country's political landscape remains fractious, with the next round of elections coming up in August, along with the world's highest rate of inflation.

"One of the things I've been trying to do is to regain the confidence of English sides to come here," Houghton, who coached Derbyshire and Worcestershire in the County Championship in England, continued.

"I'm not just thinking Tests but I'm talking about County sides, school sides and things like that. Individuals to come and play domestic cricket, and I'm pleased to say, over the last couple of years that's gone really well.

"We had Durham and Glamorgan here in March as well, and they absolutely love the place. We're also upgrading our major stadium in Harare with floodlights.

"Everything is on the way up at the moment, particularly in the cricket side. I've been in England a long time, and I've sort of been back and forth over the years.

"With my wife, I'm really making an effort to get out to all the various places now I'm back here with the cricket team.

"Two things have really struck me. One: how beautiful this country really is, and two: how our support for cricket has become so country wide. It's absolutely amazing."

Former England batter Gary Ballance boosted the game for the south west African nation when he switched allegiances to Zimbabwe in December only to announce his retirement from the sport four months later.

The recent achievement of reaching the Super Sixes of last year's T20 World Cup, where Zimbabwe shocked Pakistan with a one-run win, certainly help aspirations.

Their last appearance on the 50 over stage was at the 2015 World Cup but only won once and exited at the group stage.

The first group of qualifiers for this year's event will lead to a Super Sixes stage with the final played on July 9 in Harare - both finalists will automatically qualify for the World Cup in India in October and November.

Houghton knows a strong start is needed if the two main powerhouses, West Indies and Sri Lanka, can be overcome.

"You carry your points into the Super Sixes. So the really important stage of this tournament is these first 4 games.

If you get out of this group into the Super Six, and you're carrying maximum points, you're in a good position to qualify.

"Qualifying would not be a shock to me, we can definitely qualify. If we play really well in a couple of games on the right day we can qualify.

"I think it would be massive. The fans, the support group, the crowds - they understand how difficult it is, but if we were to make it, wow! This place would explode."

This article originally appeared on BBC Sport

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