“I had to think about packing up and going to another country and starting afresh”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Zimbabwe batsman Sean Williams has revealed that he almost quit representing his country in order to start a career abroad when he was snubbed for the tour of Bangladesh last October.
Williams was dropped for the tour of Bangladesh after he and former head coach Stephen Mangongo got into an argument over the fact that he left midway through the national team’s training camp in October.
“I was supposed to have a disciplinary hearing because I had missed practices in Zimbabwe. There was a family illness. I had applied for leave and gone but then I was left out of the squad to Bangladesh,” Williams said. “In the long run, I had to make a decision of securing my future because at that stage I had to think about packing up and going to another country and starting afresh.
“I was watching the Bangladeshi left-arm spinners doing what they were doing, and I knew I had a reasonable series against South Africa and Australia. I play in Bangladesh often and I seem to do well in Bangladesh so I wasn’t happy at all that I was left out. There was nothing I could do, it was out of my control.”
After being left out, Williams considered heading to South Africa to play in the country’s domestic Twenty20 competition.
“South Africa was one of the options but it was going to be tough. I would have needed another passport to play there,” he said. “Being on a Zimbabwean passport doesn’t allow me to just go anywhere. I am an overseas player and I am up against the Gayles and guys like that which makes life extremely hard. I would have had to start from the bottom and work my way up again.”
Williams also admitted that if he had not been included in Zimbabwe’s World Cup squad, he would have gone to England to try and play some county cricket.
“If I hadn’t been considered for this tour, I would have looked to go to England,” he said.
When asked if new head coach Dav Whatmore was planning to change his role in any way whatsoever, Williams said: “There are a few little changes in my role – very minor, nothing serious. The wickets don’t suit me that much with my spin so I will probably bowl a couple overs go off, and come back – not bowl longer spells.”
Following the World Cup, Williams is hoping to try and play some county cricket around the world.
“If I could play county cricket, it would be great, if I could play in the Dhaka Premier League, it would be great,” he said. “If I could play in the IPL it would be awesome, but I’m still a little far off that.”