Australia chase a clean sweep in Harare with Cameron Green set to return

Australia go into the final one-day international in Harare chasing a 3-0 sweep, with Cameron Green pushing to play his first match of the tour

Australia lead the three-match series 2-0 after winning by 59 runs and 84 runs at Harare Sports Club, and Sunday's third one-day international closes the Zimbabwe leg of a trip that continues with three more matches in South Africa.

Cameron Green has not played on tour because of soreness in his right shoulder, but the allrounder has batted and bowled in the nets in Harare and is expected to come into the side for the finale.

Zimbabwe, captained by Sikandar Raza, are still looking for a performance that lasts the full fifty overs. Twice they have bowled Australia into a large total and twice their chase has come apart.

Green closes in on a first outing

Green was left out of the series opener with right shoulder soreness. He batted in the nets and completed running drills beforehand, but his bowling was restricted to a light session.

By the second match the signs from his net work were positive enough for Australia to talk about him playing the third, where he would add middle-order batting and a fourth seam option.

His return would also let Australia look at a settled top six for the first time on the tour, with Matt Renshaw and Josh Inglis already among the runs.

Two totals Zimbabwe could not chase

Australia made 294 for 8 in the opener and bowled Zimbabwe out for 235 in 45.1 overs. Matt Renshaw scored 109 for his maiden ODI century and Nathan Ellis took 5-31, also a first in one-day internationals.

The second match was more emphatic still. Australia posted 356 for 6 and Zimbabwe, despite reaching 272, lost by 84 runs.

Travis Head struck 112 from 84 balls with 15 boundaries, his first century since the Ashes, and was caught reaching for a fourth six off the off-spin of Wessly Madhevere.

Adam Zampa became the second Australian spinner to 200 ODI wickets, marking it by bowling Innocent Kaia with a wrong'un, and 20-year-old Oliver Peake hit 41 from 18 balls, including three sixes in the final over off Brad Evans.

Stanlake's tour cut short

Billy Stanlake left the field with a left side strain three balls into his fifth over of Zimbabwe's chase in the second match, and was sent for scans with his tour expected to be over.

Josh Hazlewood, who had been managed out of the opener, returned to take 2-48, bowling a maiden at Raza and later knocking over two of Newman Nyamhuri's stumps.

Australia have used the series to spread the load. Spencer Johnson played his first one-day international in 18 months in Harare, while Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc were left out of the Zimbabwe leg altogether.

Zimbabwe's search for a finish

Raza top-scored with 45 in the second match, and the pattern of the series has been Zimbabwe batsmen getting in without going on.

The home side have not had much recent exposure to this opposition. These are the first one-day internationals Australia have played in Zimbabwe since 2014, and Mitchell Marsh is the only member of the touring squad who was there for that visit.

Marsh played his 100th ODI in the series opener on the ground where he made 89 against Zimbabwe as a young batsman twelve years ago.

A World Cup rehearsal

The trip is preparation as much as it is a series. The 2027 ODI World Cup will be co-hosted by Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia, and Australia's six one-day internationals across the two countries are being played in the conditions they will defend the title in.

"I feel lucky to be playing here and in South Africa 12 months out from the World Cup where we'll face the same conditions," Marsh said before the series began.

"We are close to full strength, just missing Patty (Cummins) and Mitch Starc, and have a lot of experience and some youth, so it's exciting," the captain added. Cummins takes over the captaincy for the South African leg.

Play in the third one-day international begins at 9.30am local time at Harare Sports Club.

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