Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
WHEN news first broke out that Craig Ervine had incurred a calf injury, ruling him out for the Sri Lanka series, it appeared the captaincy would be coin toss between Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza.
After all, Raza is the Chevrons’ T20 skipper while Williams is the Ervine’s deputy in the one-day format.
In the end, Williams won that vote and his influence seems to have been instant.
Zimbabwe might have lost the One Day International (ODI) leg of Sri Lanka’s visit 2-0 but the Chevrons put quite the shift and showed glimpses of the ‘fight’ that has been lacking for the larger part of the year.
The Chevrons’ fan base is not asking for much but, for the longest time, they have been yearning for a little fight from their Zimbabwe national team.
“It was a late call coming in as captain,” said Williams. “And, the message that I had for the boys was that I would rather you try do something new, and something positive and lose that way, than be cautious and still lose.
“I think doing something a little bit more exciting and inspiring is the job that I’m after the guys to do.
“I also think if you express yourself, I think the guys will be surprised by what they can actually do and achieve.
“It changes the mindset of the players and the clarity of the roles that they have to do.
“I think that is something that I personally want to try to achieve this series,” he said.
Williams also happens to be a man of action and led from the front during the just-ended ODI leg of Sri Lanka’s visit.
The 38-year-old Zimbabwe stand-in skipper was amongst the series top run scorers, finishing fifth on the most runs list with 77 from the two innings.
Only Pathum Nissanka (198), Raza (151), Ben Curran (149) and Janith Liyanage (89) managed to score more.
Now, while 77 runs is a far cry from Nissanka’s 198 runs or Raza’s 151, one only needs to put Williams’ contribution into their proper context.
During the first One Day International, Williams helped rescue Zimbabwe’s innings after coming in and sharing 118-run third wicket stand with Curran.
At the time of his arrival, Zimbabwe were reeling after losing both opener Brian Bennett and Brendan Taylor without scoring a single run.
His third-wicket stand with Curran then went on to lay the foundation for Raza and Tony Manyonga to take the game by the horns and race to the finish line.
The two shared a 128-run sixth wicket partnership that should have given Zimbabwe the win.
It took a freak hattrick final over from Dilshan Madushanka to give Sri Lanka the narrowest of a seven-run victory.
Sadly, Williams failed to replicate that form during the second match but the message and his influence was clear.
The Zimbabwe stand-in skipper also finished with the best bowling economy (4.36) of the series, despite taking the solitary wicket in the two matches.
“Going forward, I think there Is massive learning that needs to take place,” he said.
“I mean, for me as a captain, I can already pinpoint decisions that I made that probably cost us or, maybe, could have put us in a better position to win the games.
“A lot of learning has to be done. Not only that, but learning that needs to be followed by action. If I go back to what I’m trying to achieve here, I think there’s nothing better than telling somebody the truth.
“And that’s something that we have been doing in the change room over the last week or so.
“The truth can be hard to hear but it has to be heard. And that is something that the team is starting to learn to grasp.
“I think that is something that is huge for us going forward. And if that can stay in our change room going forward, it will filter down into the franchise systems as well,” he said.
Williams also reserved compliment for Ernest Masuku, the 32-year-old seamer who made his long awaited international debut under Williams’ watch.
Both players are on the Matabeleland Tuskers payroll and Williams was gushing with pride over Masuku’s fight and resolve.
“I was excited for him, actually,” he said.
“He’s worked really hard and had some ups and downs. It’s been quite a tough mental battle trying to get up into the national side but he’s stuck out.”
The series moves on into the T20 format with Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka clashing three matches.
The first match starts tomorrow after which the two sides will meet again on Saturday and Sunday.
