On Thursday 22 May, the latest chapter in Zimbabwe’s 33-year history in the Test arena will begin to unfold at Trent Bridge.

When the tourists step onto the field in Nottingham, it will mark exactly 8,011 days since the end of their most recent Test outing in England.

It will also be a little more than seven years since they last played anyone currently placed above seventh in the world Test rankings.

However, with former Chevrons wicketkeeper-batter, and Nottinghamshire fan favourite, Brendan Taylor noting that “Zimbabwean cricket is in the best place it’s ever been,” the present, and the future, both appear bright.

With that glowing endorsement from the man who has the most centuries for Zimbabwe in history behind them, who are the 15 who have been chosen to represent the tourists at Trent Bridge this month?

Batters

In the run-scoring unit, Zimbabwe possess a good deal of experience, with the trio of Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, and Sikandar Raza providing the backbone.

All three are aged 39, and raise the age profile of the squad by a significant amount; the average age of the other 12 members of the touring group is 26.6, but with the trio included, it jumps to 29.1.

Naturally, the lack of Test matches played by Zimbabwe in recent years means that the trio have not had the opportunity to score the mountains of runs that has been afforded to players from other nations.

Between them, Ervine - who will captain the Chevrons - Williams, and Raza have played only 62 Tests; for context, Joe Root, who they will face at Trent Bridge, has played 152 alone.

That has not, however, stopped them from all scoring over 1,000 runs apiece in the format, with all three possessing averages north of 35.

Ervine, with 25 Tests under his belt - the most of any member of the squad - leads the way with 1,646 Test runs.

Meanwhile, Williams’ 1,505 have been made at the most productive average of 44.26, and he also boasts five centuries to his name, often making use of the entertaining reverse sweep shot.

Raza is renowned more as a white-ball specialist, perhaps providing the ideal counter-attacking tonic to England’s renowned Bazball style, but still has the most Test fifties to his name in the touring group, with nine.

Outside of the experienced trio, opener Brian Bennett, aged just 21 and the second-youngest member of the squad, averages 32 from his six Tests so far, having registered two half-centuries and a hundred already.

Bennett’s temperament came in for particular praise from Zimbabwe great Taylor, who remarked that he “keeps things very simple.”

Perhaps it is his grounding in the fundamentals that has allowed him to score his Test runs at a faster rate than any other member of the Chevrons squad, of 66.94.

The batting unit is completed by Bennett’s fellow opener Ben Curran, brother of England’s Tom and Sam, and middle-order right-hander Nick Welch.

Both will be known to followers of the English county game, with Curran having spent five seasons with Northamptonshire between 2018 and 2022, while Welch turned out for Leicestershire in 2021 and 2022.

Bowlers

Without doubt, Zimbabwe’s standout bowler is left-armer Blessing Muzarabani, who has 51 Test wickets at a miserly average of just 21.84.

Standing at over two metres tall, Muzarabani is an imposing presence, even before his slingy yet smooth bowling action that generates impressive speed is brought into consideration.

He will also be known to English audiences, having had two seasons with Northamptonshire in 2019 and 2020, during which time he collected 17 County Championship wickets at 27.47 apiece.

Muzarabani generates bounce from his height, and his long levers mean he is a strong striker of the ball when batting too, making him a useful option down the order.

He may have only played 12 Tests, another victim of Zimbabwe’s truncated schedule in the longest format, but he impressed in his most recent tour, snaring match figures of 9/122 in a win over Bangladesh.

Expect to see Muzarabani charging in from either end at Trent Bridge to open the bowling, while Williams and Raza will provide support with the ball with their respective left- and right-arm spinners.

Elsewhere in the seam battery, Victor Nyauchi - with a similarly busy run-up to Muzarabani - has 23 Test wickets with a best return of 5/56, and Richard Ngarava’s left-arm pace provides a useful point of difference.

Similarly strong and tall, both useful aspects of a successful speedster, Ngarava has 20 Test wickets in his nine games so far, and has twice collected a four-wicket haul in the format.