Sean Williams's 174 powers Zimbabwe to their highest ODI total
Extending his purple patch in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023, Zimbabwe skipper Sean Williams has scored yet another fiery century. The left-handed batter brought up his second ton of the tournament against the USA. He smoked the second-fastest ton for Zimbabwe in ODIs, off just 65 balls. He ended up scoring 174 off 101 balls. Here we look at his stats.
Another fiery knock from Williams
Williams arrived to bat at number three with the scorecard reading 56/1. He attacked bowlers from the outset, causing a sudden boost in the scoring rate. He added over 150 runs with opener Joylord Gumbie (78) as Zimbabwe crossed the 200-run mark inside 34 overs. It must be noted that Williams reached his fifty with a six, off just 33 balls.
Second-fastest ton for Zimbabwe
Only Sikandar Raza owns a faster ODI ton in Zimbabwe colors. He recently reached the milestone off just 54 balls against the Netherlands. During the course of his knock, Williams became the first player to cross the 300-run mark in the competition. His strike rate of 140-plus is the highest among batters with at least 200 runs in the tournament.
Third fifty-plus score in the tournament
23, 91, and 102* read his preceding scores in the competition. His ton, which was recorded against Nepal, came off just 70 balls, the then-fastest for a Zimbabwe batter. Raza displaced him at the top a few days later. Meanwhile, he took just 58 balls to score 91 against the Netherlands. Notably, hosts Zimbabwe are yet to suffer a defeat in the competition.
Fourth Zimbabwe batter with a 150 in ODIs
Meanwhile, Williams has become just the fourth Zimbabwe batter to touch the 150-run mark in ODIs. He joined the likes of Charles Coventry (194*), Hamilton Masakadza (178* and 156), and Craig Wishart (172*). The southpaw hence now owns the third-highest individual score for Zimbabwe in ODIs. Williams has now raced to 4,776 runs in 153 games at 37.60 (100s: 7, 50s: 34).
Highest ODI score for Zimbabwe
Williams's record-breaking knock powered Zimbabwe to their highest total in ODIs, 408/6. They had previously crossed the 350-run mark only once in the format, having posted 351/7 against Kenya back in 2007. Besides Williams, opener Joylord Gumbie (78 off 103), Sikandar Raza (48 off 27), and Ryan Burl (47 off 16) also made vital contributions for Zimbabwe.
