5 world events that hadn't occurred when England and Zimbabwe last played a Test match

The one-off Test match between England and Zimbabwe got underway on May 22, at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. It is a four-day match, and the first Test between England and Zimbabwe since June 2003.

More than 8,000 days have passed since the last Test between England and Zimbabwe. Back in 2003, Zimbabwe lost the away series against England by 0-2. In fact, the African side have never won a Test against England, and they will be keen to end their winless streak over the next few days.

Talking about the Test rivalry between England and the African nation, a lot of things have changed in the cricket world after their last battle. Here's a list of five such things.

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#1 T20 World Cup did not exist when England and Zimbabwe last played a Test

The T20 format made its debut at the international level in 2005, and two years later, the International Cricket Council decided to conduct the first-ever T20 World Cup in South Africa.

The decision proved to be a masterstroke, and the T20 World Cup happens once in every two years now. India won the inaugural edition of the mega event in South Africa, and also the last edition played in USA and West Indies.

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#2 IPL did not exist

IPL is the hottest property in the cricket world right now, with top cricketers from across the world playing the tournament. It also gives young Indian talents to showcase their prowess.

The Indian Premier League came into existence in 2008, which is five years after the last Test between England and Zimbabwe. IPL's 18th season is currently underway in India.

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#3 Afghanistan had not played an ODI or a T20I match

Afghanistan qualified for the T20 World Cup semifinals last year. They also impressed in the 2023 ODI World Cup and qualified for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

However, Afghanistan had not played a single ODI or a T20I match back in 2003. They made their ODI debut against Scotland in 2009, while their first T20I game was against Ireland in 2010.

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#4 Eoin Morgan was getting ready to represent Ireland U-19s

Eoin Morgan is on commentary for the ongoing Test between England and Zimbabwe. He is the only player to have led England to the ODI World Cup.

While Morgan is the hero of England cricket fans now, back in 2003, he had been gearing up to represent Ireland in the U-19 arena. He played for his home nation Ireland in the 2004 U-19 World Cup.

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#5 Test jerseys did not have names and numbers at the back

Back in 2003, when England and the African nation competed in the two-match Test series, the back side of the jerseys did not have the player's name or number.

However, times have changed now. ICC introduced the numbered jerseys for Tests in the 2019 World Test Championship. Since then, even the Test matches not part of WTC have featured numbered jerseys.