The main building works have been substantially completed and finishing is now underway with the lush green outfield and facilities taking shape, according to officials.

The media and broadcast centers, changing rooms, medical facility, grandstands and grass banks are close to being finished with roofing and the installation of bucket seats underway, while corporate gazebos are also to be installed.

“The main building works are as good as complete and we are now concentrating on the finishes that will bring the stadium together, with all the outstanding materials having been delivered,” Zimbabwe Cricket Managing Director Givemore Makoni tells FORBES AFRICA.

“When you look at the outfield and how the facilities are taking shape, there is a real sense of excitement about how close we are to playing cricket here.”

A date will be set soon for the stadium’s first trial match with final completion targeted for mid-2027, when an international series is planned to put the venue through a more extensive test ahead of the World Cup, which gets underway in October.

“The initial trial match will give us an opportunity to assess the playing facilities and essential match-day operations,” Makoni adds.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) inspected all three of Zimbabwe’s venues for the tournament which the country is co-hosting with Namibia and South Africa.

Bulawayo’s Queens Sports Club and the Harare Sports Club will also stage matches and the ICC has reportedly said it is happy with the progress of preparations, after a visit to the country.

The World Cup was previously hosted on the African continent by Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe in 2003. At that tournament, there were three matches each in Bulawayo and Harare.