Sean Williams

[Googly]

That's an interesting topic actually.
Brent was sidelined twice at least.
Mangongo sidelined twice.
Ibrahim now seems to be doubling up as Mountaineers coach so he's obviously got plans to stay.
Taylor was an option as a coach prior to muddying the waters by playing and will definitely want to explore that option, hopefully in the next month or so
Matsikinyeri is a permanent fixture, immune to success or failure. The only thing that would make him move is a really lucrative international gig.
Houghton will be the HPC coach, but they will without doubt pair him up with at least one black assistant coach to report back if he has coffee with Campbell or Coltart. That assistant coach role will be highly prized.

Matsi will know a lot about batting coaching from his career and will have seriously refined himself being under, in and around the coaches he has.

Despite Williams having all the knowledge in the world, and he is an absolute guru, there's not a lot of room in the Inn.
Plus he'd have to be a bit more reliable
A combination of Houghton, Williams and Taylor as HPC coaches would tick a lot of boxes, with a snitch to keep an eye on them. That's a big salary bill right there!!
They prefer to spread it out so there are dozens of average players instead of 6 good ones. That lesson will never be learnt.

[secretzimbo]

I’ve lost count over the years but my best guess is that this is his 5th retirement. Obviously this one is a bit different considering his advanced age and the public admission of drug issues

But we can’t be certain we’ve seen the last of him. I still have hope.

[Googly]

No surprises here. Very very disappointed but not surprised. Has any other test playing nation ever had to deal with consistent player walkouts/ protests/withdrawals/bans/comebacks? It's been like this for 25 years.

The key issue here is that without Williams I am not seeing the net benefit of keeping the older guys around until 2027 as things stand. We have to be honest. In fact there will be zero benefit if Raza gets injured, which at their ages is a real possibility. It makes a lot more sense to throw Welch, Curran and maybe an import like Byrom or Higgins straight into the fire. That's the honest truth.

Williams was the key man. I'm just telling you that something has happened and he's been sold down the river.

[Googly]

Taps I was hoping u could enlighten us on whats being sung that resulted in them being stopped?

[aydee]

All very sad. Especially when you consider that he has been playing better than ever the last 12 months - remarkable given his age.

Memories of his stroke play will last. Best since Flower is probably fair.

[zimbos_05]

No surprises here. Very very disappointed but not surprised. Has any other test playing nation ever had to deal with consistent player walkouts/ protests/withdrawals/bans/comebacks? It's been like this for 25 years.

We wouldn't have to if we had a competent leadership.

Willo will be missed. Was an exceptional player to watch. Had his moments where he didn't step up when needed if we are being fully honest, but he was more than most the best in the side.

Drug addiction - or addiction of any kind - is no joke. Hope he gets the help he needs and can overcome it. It is disappointing that ZC are looking to score points again. I've never seen any other organisation so quickly throw players, fans, and officials under a bus. All well and good they are acknowledging it and being honest, but don't kick the man whilst he is down. The statement is shit and should be more supportive. ZC truly are a cancer.

[tawac]

Something just isnt right in our cricket why do some many get involved in drugs. Seems it might be more rampant than what we see on the surface.

[CholeZimbo]

There’s always something bizarre happening in Zimbabwe cricket. What’s really going on with the drug situation? It’s shocking to think Willo might have been high all the time.

To be fair, it must have been tough dealing with the chaos of the board while playing for a team that kept losing. Sean’s a natural winner, you can tell. Maybe drugs were his way of coping with that toxic environment, especially since he couldn’t just walk away with his family relying on the ZC salary. But now, how will he manage without it?

And honestly, ZC’s statements are so unprofessional, written with anger instead of composure. Around the world, people get dismissed every day, but announcements are usually respectful. With ZC, their statements sound more like personal texts after a heated argument than official communication.

[CholeZimbo]

They could have just asked AI to help them.

⸻

Statement from Zimbabwe Cricket

Zimbabwe Cricket acknowledges that Sean Williams has played a distinguished role in our national cricket team over many years. From his international debut in 2005, he has been a mainstay of our batting and his contributions—both in the field and in leadership—have helped shape the spirit of Zimbabwean cricket.

We would like to highlight a few key moments in his career:
• His century of 154 in a Test match in December 2024, which underlined his quality and endurance at the highest level.
• His status as one of our most experienced international players, having appeared in Tests, ODIs and T20s over a career spanning more than two decades. 
• His resilience through difficult periods—supporting the team through seasons of challenge and representing Zimbabwe on the global stage.

At the same time, we must address recent developments with full transparency. During an internal review, it was disclosed that Mr Williams has been experiencing a personal struggle with drug addiction and that he has voluntarily entered a rehabilitation programme. This situation emerged in the context of his unavailability and withdrawal from selection on multiple occasions—conditions that have impacted team planning and performance.

Given the seriousness of these disclosures and the need to maintain professional, ethical and anti-doping standards within our organisation, Zimbabwe Cricket has determined that Mr Williams will not be considered for future national selection and that his central contract will not be renewed upon its expiry at the end of December 2025.

We want to express publicly our profound gratitude to Sean for his long service, his achievements and his role in representing Zimbabwe. His highs and lows reflect both the potential and the pressures of international sport. We also want to emphasise our support for him as he embarks on his recovery journey.

Zimbabwe Cricket stands committed to the welfare of our players, to upholding integrity, and to learning from this experience so that our systems, culture and support mechanisms are strengthened for the future.

We wish Sean Williams every success in his rehabilitation, his future endeavours beyond cricket, and trust that his legacy will be remembered not only for runs and centuries, but also for the lessons his career provides.

— Zimbabwe Cricket

[Googly]

Drugs are a massive issue here in Zimbabwe. We've traditionally been marijuana users because it's cheap and locally grown, but that has changed. Mozambique, Zimbabwe and SA are staging posts for drugs into Europe. In SA half the police force and a few politicians are part of cartels. Not sure why it would be too different here. Mugabe Jr was arrested just recently with more than his fair share.

It's all about humans' desire to experience an altered state of consciousness. The range of drugs available to the youth at outings is astonishing for a Third World country, it's a smorgasborg of fun and disaster.

Smoking a joint is a lot cheaper than getting shit faced on booze as well. That's why it will hopefully remain the drug of choice for those so inclined. The cheap alternatives have dire consequences and for sure they're coming our way.

The number of folk that have died from bad coke in Zim is astonishing. Coke cut with all manner of things and topped up with a stimulant like ephedrine to give the illusion of coke but kills you easily. Know your dealer!

The pressures of cricket are immense. Unless you find a way of coping with them the good old mary jane gives you some respite from worrying about the consequences of failure and from a very average life if you're on an unliveable salary.

Marijuana use is prevalent amongst cricketers here. The two guys who were given a ban here was merely an internal warning because they are PONI's.

In UK they do hair follicle testing. Drugs are detectable for much longer than a blood or urine test. If they were strong on testing franchise players I suspect the results would be alarming. If you're a casual user most drugs flush in 24-48 hours, but the hair follicle test will get you. The number of prescription drugs on the banned list is huge as well.

I wouldn't be keen to face 140 after smoking a joint , it's not performance enhancing