Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. ZIMBABWE all-rounder Sean Williams has decided to come out of T20I retirement and is part of the squad picked to play against Sri Lanka in the three-match series set to kick off at Harare Sports Club this afternoon.
Williams announced his quitting the shorter version of the game last year during the away tour of Bangladesh.
His last match was the Chevrons’ fifth and final T20I, which ended in an eight-wicket victory for the visitors.
He is set to carry on from the 81 T20Is he has played for Zimbabwe, scoring 1 691 runs with a high score of 66 among the 11 half-centuries he has scored at an average of 23.48.
Currently, he stands on 38 wickets, with 3/15 his best bowling performance since making his debut against Bangladesh in Khulna in November 2006.
Zimbabwe T20I captain Sikandar Raza welcomed Williams’ return, coupled with Brandon Taylor’s naming in the squad as well.
“It’s nice to have Willow back, of course. We had this conversation a few months back. During the Test matches, I had a chat with Willow one-on-one, and we said, ‘This is an opportunity to get to the World Cup’. You just have to decide for yourself and your family,” Raza revealed.
“Willow took some time and decided that he’s ready. You’ve got to look at his workload. Willow is an all-rounder, and he’s been playing every single game for Zimbabwe.
“His fitness level, time away from the family — he has to consider all those options. After speaking to the family and the people he trusts, he decided to come back, and we’re very blessed and happy that Willow is back.”
Also making a welcome return are wicketkeeper-batsman Tadiwanashe Marumani and seamer Brad Evans.
Zimbabwe has been a largely competitive side, narrowly missing out on winning both One-Day International matches against Sri Lanka, which ended in a 2-0 defeat.
Raza is motivated by these performances and hopes his charges can replicate this form heading into the T20I series.
“I’m a big believer that once you start looking at the end result, the whole process gets away from you,” he added.
“I thought the way we batted, fielded, and bowled in the ODI series should give us a lot of confidence to have another exciting T20 series against Sri Lanka.”
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka is expecting a tough series against the hosts.
“Knowing that they are also using this tour to prepare for the qualifiers, I think they’ll be really challenging for us,” Asalanka said.
“A few young players are inside the Zimbabwe team, and I think it will be a good, challenging T20 series. We just want to do our basics really well.”
The match bowls off at 1:30pm today.
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