ZIM vs SL 2025: Sean Williams comes out of T20I retirement, added to squad

Published - 03 Sept 2025, 17:18 IST | Updated - 03 Sept 2025, 17:18 IST

Zimbabwe all-rounder Sean Williams has decided to come out of T20I retirement and has been named in the squad to face Sri Lanka in the three-match series starting this afternoon at Harare Sports Club. Williams had announced his retirement from the shorter format during Zimbabwe’s away tour of Bangladesh last year. His last appearance came in the fifth and final T20I of that series, which Zimbabwe won by eight wickets.

The 37-year-old will resume his international T20 career with an impressive record of 81 matches, scoring 1,691 runs at an average of 23.48, including 11 half-centuries and a top score of 66. With the ball, he has taken 38 wickets, with best figures of 3/15, since making his debut against Bangladesh in Khulna back in November 2006.

Zimbabwe T20I captain Sikandar Raza welcomed Williams’ return, noting that his experience, along with the inclusion of Brendan Taylor in the squad, will provide a significant boost to the Chevrons dugout. Raza, who was recently crowned the no. 1 ODI all-rounder, said that he had a discussion with Williams regarding the call, and things eventually worked out.

“It’s nice to have Willow [Williams] 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 said as quoted by News Day.

“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,” the Zimbabwean skipper added.

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Zimbabwe showed promise in the recent ODI series against Sri Lanka, narrowly missing out on victories in both matches. Raza said he is motivated by those performances and hopes his team can carry that form into the T20Is. Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka acknowledged the threat posed by the hosts and said he is expecting a tough series at Harare Sports Club.

“I’m a big believer that once you start looking at the end result, the whole process gets away from you. 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,” said Raza.

“Knowing that they are also using this tour to prepare for the qualifiers, I think they’ll be really challenging for us. 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,” said the Sri Lankan skipper.