Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) have announced that their veteran player Sean Williams will no longer be considered for selection in the national team. He recently withdrew from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier 2025 on the eve of the tournament in Harare. The 39-year-old made himself unavailable amid potential anti-doping testing and later disclosed during the investigation that he has been struggling with drug addiction.
The board, in its statement, has made it clear that it expects all the contracted players to be disciplined and professional when it comes to team protocols. Moreover, Williams has also voluntarily entered rehabilitation but will never be picked again now while his contract will also be not renewed after it expires of December 31, 2025.
"ZC expects all contracted players to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, discipline and compliance with team protocols and anti-doping regulations. A review of Williams’ record indicates a history of disciplinary issues and repeated unavailability, which has impacted team preparations and performance.
"While ZC commends him for seeking rehabilitation, withdrawal from team commitments under circumstances involving potential testing raises serious concerns regarding professional and ethical standards. After careful consideration, ZC has concluded that Williams will no longer be considered for national selection. Consequently, it is not feasible to continue his national contract beyond its expiry on 31 December 2025," the statement from ZC read.
A look at Sean Williams' international career
Sean Williams made his international debut in 2005 in an ODI against South Africa. Overall, he played 24 Tests, 164 ODIs and 85 T20Is for Zimbabwe and scored 1946, 5217 and 1805 runs during his illustrious career. He notched up a total of 14 centuries while also smashing 56 fifties. He was one of the best batters for Zimbabwe across formats and will certainly be missed when they take the field in the T20 World Cup next year.
