Reuters
Zimbabwe's batsman Sean Williams [Source: Reuters]
At an age when most test cricketers have retired and only an elite few can maintain their excellence, 38-year-old Sean Williams is bucking the trend and soaring to new heights on the cusp of his 20th anniversary representing Zimbabwe.
Upon the retirement of 21-year stalwart Jimmy Anderson last year, Bulawayo-born Williams became world cricket’s longest-tenured player and his game has only improved with time.
As his side’s premier contemporary batsman, over 17 tests and 162 one-day internationals Williams has averaged 45 and 38 respectively. Since 2020, those numbers have skyrocketed to 81 and 51 — and while captaining 96 and 73.
Promoted to the national team in 2005 after a politically-driven player exodus, facing a merciless South Africa was an eye-opening initiation for the then 18-year-old.
A two-day Cape Town massacre followed, and despite missing test selection Williams still finds humour in a 12th-man memory of teammate Brendan Taylor accidentally knocking himself out after making a low score.
As a hopelessly outgunned Zimbabwe retreated from the test arena, it would be eight more years before Williams made his red-ball debut.
