Ek dilchasp aur jazbati subah ke dauraan, Zimbabwe ke veteran all-rounder Sean Williams ne Day 2 ke morning session mein England ke khilaf ek zabardast fightback ka aghaz kiya. Nottingham ke Trent Bridge par 23 May 2025 ko khele ja rahe ek hi Test match mein, 38 saal ke left-hander Williams sirf 12 runs se century se chook gaye. Unhein lunch se thodi der pehle 88 runs par out kiya gaya, lekin unka dhamakedar innings England ke bowling attack ke liye ek badi rukawat bana. Unki wicket ke bawajood Zimbabwe ne sirf ek hi wicket kho kar session complete kiya, aur ek underdog team ke tor par apna jazba aur hosla sabit kiya.
Williams Ka Dilerana Innings
Williams, jinhon ne 20 saal se zyada international cricket khela hai, tab crease par aaye jab Zimbabwe ka haal kaafi nazuk tha—England ne pehle innings mein 565/6 declare karke dabbav bana liya tha. England ki innings Ollie Pope (171), Ben Duckett (140), aur Zak Crawley (124) ke centuries se bhari hui thi. Lekin Williams ne himmat nahi hari aur bold batting style ke saath Zimbabwe ke liye umeed jagayi.
No. 4 par batting karte hue, Williams ne 82 balls mein 10 chaukay lagaye aur reverse-sweep ka kamaal dikhaya, jo unka khas shot hai. Unhone Brian Bennett ke saath 60 runs ki aur captain Craig Ervine ke saath 65 runs ki partnership banayi. In partnerships ne Zimbabwe ko England ke bade score ke samne kuch run chhota kiya aur lunch tak 141/3 par le aaye, ab bhi 424 runs peeche.
England ke Josh Tongue aur debutant Sam Cook jaise pacers ke against unhone shandar timing dikhayi, jabke Shoaib Bashir ke spin ke saamne reverse-sweep aur footwork se attack kiya. 100+ strike rate dikhata hai ke unka iraada sirf tikne ka nahi, balki counterattack ka tha.
Lekin lunch se 10 minute pehle, Bashir ki ek skid hoti delivery par Williams paddle sweep karte hue lbw ho gaye. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena ne unhein out diya, aur review ke bawajood ball-tracking ne dikhaya ke ball leg stump ko clip kar rahi thi—umpire’s call ke tahat unka innings khatam hua. Commentators ne isay “thoda badnaseeb” qarar diya. Zimbabwe 132/3 par tha jab Williams out hue, aur Ben Curran (36*) aur Sikandar Raza (9*) ne innings ko aage le jane ki zimmedari uthayi.
Zimbabwe Ka Himmatwala Session
Williams ke out hone ke bawajood, poora morning session Zimbabwe ke liye hoslay ka saboot bana. England, jo strong bowling attack ke saath aayi thi—Ben Stokes, Gus Atkinson, aur Bashir jaise bowlers ke sath—sirf ek wicket le saki. Curran ne apne sirf doosre Test mein bohot sambhal kar 96 balls mein 36* run banaye, jabke Williams ne aggressive role nibhaaya. Zimbabwe ne overnight score 30/2 se 141/3 tak le aaya—matlab 100+ runs aur sirf ek wicket.
England ke bowlers, khaaskar Josh Tongue, ne bounce generate kiya—ek delivery par Williams ke glove par bhi lagi. Bashir ne tight bowling ki, lekin wickets nahi nikaal paye. Ben Stokes ne injury ke baad aggressive spell daala lekin breakthrough nahi mila, jabke Atkinson aur Cook bhi run rokne mein hi masroof rahe.
Match Ka Tanazur
Yeh ek hi Test 2003 ke baad pehli dafa England aur Zimbabwe ke darmiyan ho raha hai—yeh dono teams ke liye historic moka hai. Zimbabwe ke liye yeh ek rare moka hai kisi top Test team ke khilaf khelne ka, aur unka 2025 ka schedule bhi kaafi bharpoor hai jisme 11 Tests hain—unke tareekh ka sabse zyada.
Warm-up match mein unko County Select XI ke khilaf 138 runs se har ka samna karna pada tha, lekin unhone Bangladesh ke khilaf series draw ki thi, jis se hosla mila. Captain Craig Ervine ne toss jeet kar fielding chuni, jo ulti pad gayi, lekin unki batting response—Brian Bennett ki record century aur Williams ke aggressive 88—ne match ko interesting bana diya.
England, Ben Stokes ki leadership mein, is match ko India ke khilaf aane wale five-Test series aur Ashes tour ki tayyari ke tor par le rahi hai. Debutant Sam Cook ne apna pehla Test wicket liya aur Tongue ne acchi pace dikhayi. Phir bhi, Zimbabwe ki fight ne match ko one-sided hone se roka.
Williams Ki Legacy Aur Zimbabwe Ka Jazba
Sean Williams, jo ab active international cricket ke sabse purane player hain (Jimmy Anderson ke retirement ke baad), Zimbabwe ki batting ki backbone rahe hain. Unka Test average 43.71 hai—aur 2020 ke baad yeh 81 hai—jo unki consistency aur quality dikhata hai. Trent Bridge mein unka innings ek yaadgar example hai unki leadership aur class ka.
Zimbabwe ki broader fight is baat ka saboot hai ke wo Test cricket mein apni jagah dobara banana chahte hain. England ke 500+ score ke samne fight back karna, Bennett ki fastest century aur Williams ka near-century innings, yeh sab unki nayi soch aur hosla dikhata hai. Ab jab Curran aur Sikandar Raza crease par hain, to umeed hai ke Zimbabwe game ko Day 3 tak kheench sake—aur shayad ek draw bhi hasil kar sake.
Aage Ka Rasta
Lunch tak Zimbabwe ab bhi 424 runs peeche hai, aur unko follow-on se bachne ke liye kafi kaam karna hoga. England ab bhi match ke favorites hain, lekin Williams ka innings aur Zimbabwe ka jazba is contest ko aur behtar bana deta hai. Agar Curran aur Raza ne fight jari rakhi, to England ko aur mehnat karni padegi—aur Zimbabwe ek moral victory hasil kar sakta hai is historic match mein.
