"There were more office members employed than players" - Sean Williams on his early years in Zimbabwe team
Veteran Zimbabwe cricketer Sean Williams recently spoke about the challenges he faced during his early years with the national side. He noted that the circumstances led several players, including him, to consider early retirement.
Williams pointed out how several coaches and players parted ways in the aftermath of the black armband protest by Andy Flower and Henry Olonga during the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
The 37-year-old told BBC Sport Africa:
"Not only had a lot of players left, but a lot of coaches. The quality of the coaches deteriorated instantly. They were, with respect to them, only club players who had done their coaching certificates. It's very difficult [when] you've been playing international cricket and you had those guys that don't actually have that experience on the field trying to coach you.
"I got to a point where I looked around and thought, 'this is not going to work'. Certain people came into power and a lot changed," he says. There were more office members employed than players. It was a nightmare. People knew how much money [national governing body] Zimbabwe Cricket was getting paid but nothing was happening. It looked like it was dying at that time - if not dead."
"I'd give an excuse not to be at training" - Sean Williams on taking a two-year break
Sean Williams recalled how he took a two-year break around 2011. He stated that he would intentionally make excuses to miss training sessions during that time
"I walked away for about two years and didn't play around 2011 and 2012. I'd go out and mess around and get dropped. I'd give an excuse not to be at training I wasn't used to being as professional," he said.
Williams suggested that head coach Dave Houghton has played a big role in revamping Zimbabwe cricket. On Houghton's contribution, he said:
"What actually kept me in the game was Dave Houghton. He coached me at under-16s, then again for [Matabeleland] Tuskers over the years and he kept coming back in between. Having him here again now is just phenomenal. A core group of guys seem to have stuck together through this and a few of them are still here today. I'm hoping the senior pro group can continue doing a little bit more for the youngsters before we retire."
Notably, Houghton is currently the head coach of Zimbabwe. This is his second stint with the team.