Chronicle Editor
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE will be without left-handed all-rounder Sean Williams for the five Twenty20 International cricket series against Ireland at Clontarf Cricket Club in Dublin tomorrow.
Williams was not part of the squad that left for Ireland last Thursday and only flew there on Tuesday.
Since he has to go into quarantine in Ireland, Williams is unlikely to play any part in the T20Is against the Irish, but should be available for the ODIs, which are part of the International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup Super League.
Other players that remained behind in Harare were Sikandar Raza and Tarisai Musakanda. Williams is said to have initially remained behind as he was not in the right frame of mind to travel to Ireland.
While Raza was never part of the plans for the T20Is after ZC decided that he and Brendan Taylor will play no further part in the shortest format of the game going forward, Williams and Musakanda were meant to play in the five matches.
Zimbabwe Cricket’s director of cricket Hamilton Masakadza said Taylor and Raza remained behind as more younger players are being pushed into the T20Is. He said Taylor stepped in when Williams could not make the trip to Ireland.
On Musakanda, Masakadza explained that the batsman did not have a passport when the rest of the applied for visas to Ireland.
“Musakanda would have been part of the T20Is, but when the visa process started, he did not have a passport,” said Masakadza.
Since Taylor had taken Williams’ place in the squad for the T20Is, a decision now has to be made on who returns home at the end of the ODI fixtures against Ireland when the team heads to Scotland.
In Scotland, Zimbabwe will play three T20Is. Masakadza said a call will be made on who gets to head home when the team goes to Scotland at the conclusion of the tour of Ireland.
Craig Ervine has been appointed captain for the tour of Ireland and Scotland.
ZC has been rotating the captaincy for limited overs, with Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Williams and Taylor taking turns to lead the team in ODIs and T20Is. – @Mdawini_29
Online Reporter