Zimbabwe's Sean Williams, world second-longest-serving-active cricketer, enters rehab for drug addiction

In a shocking turn of events, Zimbabwe's Sean Williams - world's second longest serving active cricketer - has been admitted to rehab for drug addiction. The Zimbabwe Cricket board has also said that Williams won't be considered for renewal of his contract beyond 2025 . ZC referred to Williams's "history of disciplinary issues and repeated unavailability, which has impacted team preparations and performance" as the reason for the step taken. The 39-year-old is one of the most prolific batter for Zimbabwe across formats in his more than two-decade long career since his debut in Feb 2005.

Who is Sean Williams?

Williams first hit the spotlight in 2004 when he was included in Zimbabwe squad after only one first class match to his name. Two years later, he led the country's U-19 side in the world cup where a win over England became the highlight of the campaign. He had already made his debut for Zimbabwe an year before that - playing an ODI against South Africa in 2005. In 2006, he made his debut in T20I cricket - playing against Bangladesh. The Test debut came in 2013 against West Indies.

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He has scored 5,217 runs in 164 ODIs for Zimbabwe at an average of 37 with eight tons and highest of 174. In T20Is, he has 1,805 runs to his name in 85 matches and in Tests, Williams has scored 1,946 runs in 24 Tests with six hundreds and seven fifties.

What is the drug addiction case against Williams?

After Williams withdrew from Zimbabwe squad on the eve of Men's T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers citing personal reasons, the board conducted an internal investigation. ZC revealed on Tuesday (Nov 4) that Williams shared with them about drug addiction and that the cricketer has voluntarily entered a rehab.

"ZC expects all contracted players to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, discipline and compliance with team protocols and anti-doping regulations," the board said in its statement. "While ZC commends him for seeking rehabilitation, withdrawal from team commitments under circumstances involving potential testing raises serious concerns regarding professional and ethical standards."