The Zimbabwe cricket team toured Ireland in August and September 2021 to play three One Day International (ODI) and five Twenty20 International (T20I) matches.[1][2] The ODI series formed part of the inaugural 2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.[3][4] Cricket Ireland confirmed the fixtures in February 2021.[5][6] Originally, three T20I matches were scheduled to be played,[7] but two more T20I matches were added in April 2021, after planned matches against Pakistan were cancelled.[8]
However, on 22 July 2021, Cricket Ireland announced that the series would need to be rescheduled due to quarantine requirements needed for the visiting team.[9] The aim was to reschedule the matches for August-September 2021.[10] Zimbabwe Cricket requested government clearance to travel to Ireland, with 19 August 2021 proposed as the date to depart for the tour.[11] On 5 August 2021, Cricket Ireland confirmed the new itinerary for the tour,[12] with the series starting on 27 August 2021.[13]
Zimbabwe won the first T20I match by three runs.[14] However, Ireland went on to win the next three matches,[15] winning the series with a match to spare.[16] Zimbabwe won the fifth T20I match by five runs, with Ireland winning the series 3–2.[17]
Zimbabwe won the first ODI by 38 runs.[18] In the second ODI, Ireland scored 282/8 before the match was washed out, ending in a no result.[19] The day before the third ODI of the series, Zimbabwe's Brendan Taylor announced that he would retire from international cricket following the match.[20] Ireland went on to win the match by seven wickets,[21] with the series drawn 1–1.[22]
Zimbabwe did not name individual squads for the ODI and T20I matches, opting instead to name a combined squad of 18 players for the tour.[26] Curtis Campher was ruled out of Ireland's ODI squad after suffering an injury in the first T20I match.[27] Shane Getkate was named as Campher's replacement for Ireland's ODI matches.[28]