Zimbabwe cricketer Sean Williams's international career ends over drug addiction
What's the story
Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has announced the end of Sean Williams's international career after he pulled out of the 2025 ICC T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier. The withdrawal came just before the tournament was set to begin in Harare. ZC also revealed that Williams has voluntarily entered rehabilitation for his battle with drug addiction, which he admitted during an internal investigation.
Professional standards
Concerns over Williams's repeated unavailability
ZC reiterated its expectation for all contracted players to maintain high levels of professionalism, discipline, and adherence to team protocols and anti-doping regulations. The board also highlighted Williams's "history of disciplinary issues and repeated unavailability," which it said has affected team preparations and performance. While ZC praised Williams for seeking help, they expressed serious concerns about his withdrawal under these circumstances.
Prospects
Future selection and national contract implications
After careful consideration, ZC has decided not to consider Williams for future selection. The board also announced it would be "not feasible to continue his national contract beyond its expiry on 31 December 2025." Despite this decision, ZC thanked Williams for his contributions over the last two decades and acknowledged his pivotal role in some of Zimbabwe cricket's most significant moments.
Career
Over 8,000 runs across formats
Williams, who disclosed that he has been struggling with drug addiction, racked up over 8,000 runs for Zimbabwe in international cricket. As many as 5,217 of those runs came in ODIs with an average of 37.53. His tally includes 8 hundreds and 37 fifties. The left-handed batter also scored 1,946 and 1,805 runs in Tests and T20Is, respectively. Williams last featured in the T20I series against Namibia this year.