Sean Williams ruled out of first Test, Brendan Taylor to lead Zimbabwe

Sean Williams ruled out of first Test, Brendan Taylor to lead Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe have been dealt a blow on the eve of their Test series opener against Pakistan with skipper Sean Williams failing to recover from a soft tissue injury to his left hand.

Williams will be forced to miss the first game scheduled to begin at the Harare Sports Club on Thursday. The senior all-rounder copped the injury in the first T20 international last week and was ruled out of the subsequent T20I.

Williams later returned to the team for the series-decider on April 25, albeit he had not fully healed to ideal levels of fitness. The 34-year-old could not contribute much during the third T20I and perished for just nine as Pakistan clinched the series 2-1.

Williams' absence paves the way for Brendan Taylor to temporarily take over the reins of the side just as he performed the leadership duties in Zimbabwe's historic T20I victory over Pakistan in the second clash of the three-match series.

Zimbabwe will arguably miss the presence of Williams in their middle-order given the fact that his previous outing in Tests saw him grab the player of the series award for two centuries in three innings against Afghanistan in the UAE.

The hosts are also reeling from the unavailability of Craig Ervine, who was injured in the T20I series as well.

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