Reports: Sean Williams to take a break from international cricket post Ireland tour

Zimbabwe Test captain Sean Williams has informed the team management that he has decided to step away from international cricket after the ongoing tour of Ireland ends. He has also revealed that he could think about returning to play for Zimbabwe in ODIs and T20Is in the future. He is in Ireland with the rest of the squad. 

Earlier it has been reported that the left-handed batter had requested the selectors to not consider him for the T20I series of five matches in Ireland and also the three-match T20I series in Scotland in September. The southpaw will feature in the three-match ODI series against Ireland, which will start on September 08 after the T20I series. 

According to the report published on ESPNcricinfo, the 34-year-old has pointed at bio bubble fatigue as the main reason for his decision. Apart from that, there is also some uncertainty over his future in the game. Williams had arrived in Ireland six days after the whole squad did. Before that, he had already wished for a break due to mental health problems. 

Sean Williams unhappy about leading the team on Ireland tour

Upon his arrival in Ireland, he was in quarantine and that is when he told the team management about his decision. Ahead of this ongoing tour, Zimbabwe Cricket named Craig Ervine as the captain of the tour. This made him the fifth skipper who has been introduced since 2020. The last few series have seen Chamu Chibhabha, Sikandar Raza, Williams and Brendan Taylor as captain. 

It was also stated that Williams was not very pleased after not being given the leadership role for this tour. He has been worried about some issues which have been plaguing Zimbabwe cricket for some time. 

Zimbabwe is currently ranked at the bottom of the ICC World Cup Super League points table and there could be a situation where they fail to qualify for the 2023 World Cup. The senior players of the side have been worried about this, considering that the country didn’t even qualify for the 2019 World Cup.

Williams’ disappointment is understandable also because his form with the bat has been exceptional when he has led in recent times. Since taking over as the Test skipper, he has scored three of his four Test centuries. Though Zimbabwe has struggled, his batting has been quite a silver lining for them.