Sean Williams has been playing ODIs for a long, long time. To put things into context, UAE all-rounder Aayan Khan, also playing in the ICC World Cup Qualifier, was born a good nine months after Williams played his first one-dayer for Zimbabwe in February 2005. Cricket can be silly with numbers and ages.

What the numbers do make clear, however, is Williams’ incredible run of form in his 18th year of international cricket, easily his best of the lot. In the ongoing Qualifier, Williams has punched three centuries, to add to the five he managed in his first 149 ODIs. It could have been four, but a miscued shot against Netherlands meant he had to settle for 58-ball 91. Still, it helped his side hunt down 316 in 40.5 overs.

In the context of the tournament, Williams’ golden run has nearly secured a Zimbabwe spot for the World Cup later this year, which would be Williams’ fourth appearance in the tournament. He’s seen plenty of lows and highs (the count of highs significantly disproportionate), but the recent batting high is arguably one of the finest hot streaks in the format.

It began with a breezy win against Nepal, blanking them out in a 291-run chase. Craig Ervine eased to near run-a-ball century, but it was Williams’ 70-ball ton that sealed the game. He came in the 24th over with the platform set, and scored over 60 per cent of the runs left at a fiery pace.

Then came the near-hundred against Netherlands, orchestrated jointly with Sikandar Raza’s blistering century, the fastest ever by a Zimbabwean. Together, they road-rolled the second-best team in their group. The Zimbabwean juggernaut continued.

If a 70-ball hundred wasn’t enough, Williams bettered it just over a week later with a rollicking 65-ball hundred, which headlined the second-biggest victory, in terms of runs (304) in men’s ODI history, against USA. He finished with a 101-ball 171, fighting cramps in the last ten overs as Zimbabwe surpassed 408 for the first time in ODI cricket. It came 17 years after the first 400-plus total in ODIs. In a way, it was poetic that Williams, one of the country’s longest-serving players, was around to make it happen.

In elite company 👏

Sean Williams’ incredible #CWC23 Qualifier effort in numbers 🔥

More records ➡️ https://t.co/DBrxc4MqvK pic.twitter.com/dar244uD6D

— ICC (@ICC) June 30, 2023

A short turnaround between games can be taxing for players, but it can also be a good way to keep the engine running. Three days later, Williams notched yet another century, a commanding 142 against Oman in the Super Sixes. In the other matches, Williams had the comfort of a solid group batting performance around him: against Oman, it was a one-man show, and while there was support, no one managed more than 43. Eventually, they were given a scare by Oman but prevailed.

Much like throughout his career, Williams still works with a flexible batting position: two of his centuries in the Qualifier came from No.3, and another from No.4. It barely matters for Williams, who started his career batting at eight, went up to three, and experienced everything in between.

His average this year stands at 108.66 from seven innings. More importantly, Zimbabwe have nearly secured their India tickets for October. For Williams, it’s an amazing gear change in an amazing career, one that has gone through several turbulent phases, including frequent in-outs, disciplinary run-ins with Zimbabwe Cricket, and at least two declined contracts.

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He now has the third-most runs in a five-ODI stretch, behind Virat Kohli and Babar Azam among similar hot streaks. He has eight one-day centuries, only behind Brendan Taylor among all Zimbabwe players, and is not too far from reaching the 5,000-run landmark in the format, one that only five other players from his country have managed.

Four years ago, Zimbabwe Cricket was suspended by ICC due to political interference, which forced them to miss the 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifier. Cut to today, and Zimbabwe have been undefeated in the 50-over Qualifier, and Williams is, by far, the leading run-getter in the tournament, playing a pivotal role in the their road to the World Cup.

At 36, it’s not a bad place to be.