“If I can lead by action, and not by my words, I think the kids will grow up very quickly,” Williams said after the first day of play. “They will start doing similar things and start doing the same things off the field as well as on the field. And for me, that’s probably the best I can do as a senior player, while still keeping that discipline and professionalism in place.
Zimbabwe’s current XI has three debutants – Ben Curran, who scored a half-century, Newman Nyamhuri and Trevor Gwandu – and three other players – Joylord Gumbie, Takudzwanashe Kaitano and Brian Bennett – in only their second Tests. This makes Williams, with 19 years of international experience under his belt, their most experienced player (in terms of time, as Ervine has more Test caps) who wants to lead proactively.
Not only did Williams score big, he scored quickly. His hundred came off 115 balls and his next 54 runs off 59 deliveries as he took on Afghanistan’s bowling to dominate on his home field in what he described as a “historic day”.
“To be able to get a hundred a day like this is a very important thing,” he said. “We used to get up early in the morning to watch the Boxing Day Test matches and it’s finally here, home.”
“Having an intention doesn’t start at the Test level. Actually, it starts at the franchise level, where I try to create my own pressure, to be able to play like I’m going to play at international level.”
Sean Williams on his preparation
The “we” refers to his father Colin, who died in April 2022 and to whom Williams dedicated his achievement, as well as his brothers Michael and Matthew. But it could also be other aspiring Zimbabwean cricketers, who grew up turning on their TVs to watch the Boxing Day Tests taking place in neighboring South Africa and at the MCG and wondering if they would have one day the opportunity to take advantage of an opportunity like this first. hand. The irony is not lost in the fact that the matches at these two venues were happening at the same time and attracted far more attention than the events at Queens Park, where there was also quite a bit of drama.
Williams was on 124 when he was caught after a delivery from Zahir Khan carried his cushion towards a fielder. He started walking before the square-leg umpire decided to check for a bump and he was called back to continue batting.
“I was actually a little angry with myself because as a hitter you hold on. Even if you’ve been abandoned, I think you have the right to hold on for them to check it out. I didn’t do that,” Williams said. “I started to walk away, trusting the referee’s call, even though I knew I wasn’t out. But luckily , the square leg umpire came by and said, “You know, I think we should check that one out. It was a big emotional turnaround from that point on, because I had worked so hard.” .
“Having an intention doesn’t start at the testing level,” he said. “It actually starts at the franchise level, where I try to create my own pressure, to be able to play the way I’m going to play at international level. So I’m going to do something at the franchise level, where I put pressure on myself, to train hard all the time. And in a match situation it’s even better, because you have pressures, you created them for yourself, and then you grow from that.
Williams and Zimbabwe have already shown they can cope with the pressure of a varied attack in Afghanistan. Their next challenge is to see if they can press their advantage and make even more history.