Is Kane Williamson underrated in Tests?

[Joseph Gomes]

I see everybody talking rave about Kohli, Root and Smith, but KW is much better than anybody in the last 3 years except Smith. Why does nobody write hype articles about KW as much as the former 3? Is it because he's a NZ player?

Top batsmen in test since 2014 (qual. min 2000 runs)



As we see, Kane Williamson is much ahead of everybody except Smith. How do people even suggest somebody like Kohli is playing better than Willamson? I guess playing for a small country does affect perception

 

[Rayyman]

I see everybody talking rave about Kohli, Root and Smith, but KW is much better than anybody in the last 3 years except Smith. Why does nobody write hype articles about KW as much as the former 3? Is it because he's a NZ player?

Top batsmen in test since 2014 (qual. min 2000 runs)

As we see, Kane Williamson is much ahead of everybody except Smith. How do people even suggest somebody like Kohli is playing better than Willamson? I guess playing for a small country does affect perception

Yes he is underrated but like Dravid he shies away from the spotlight. So let KW quietly rack up the runs.

 

[Hasan123]

He's not underrated. He's talked about one of the best batsmen of this generation and one of NZs best ever batters. How much more praise do you want for him?

Root,Smith, and Kohli are overall better batsmen then Williamson imo.

 

[Ab Fan]

No. He is not underrated. I find it hard to rate Root ahead of him.Other two are ahead across formats.In tests, we talk of fab four and the guy gets enough praise.

Maybe his stats and some mid 30 avgs in big countries can be the reason of some people underrating him but he is still 27 and will only do better in these places.

 

[Aman]

He's overrated, but Root is a lot more overrated than him IMO.

Smith, KW and Kohli are ahead of him.

 

[Ted123]

He hasn't played tests for so long now.

 

[Ab Fan]

He hasn't played tests for so long now.

Just 2 tests this year, both in March 2018 vs England.

Since April 2017, he has played only 4 tests, ie., 2 vs WI and 2 vs England. So, only 4 tests in last 19 months.

 

[Aman]

Just 2 tests this year, both in March 2018 vs England.

Since April 2017, he has played only 4 tests, ie., 2 vs WI and 2 vs England. So, only 4 tests in last 19 months.

Test cricket is finished, he should focus on evolving his game for ODIs and T20s.

 

[shariqnoor]

Kane Williamson is not underrated by any stretch of the imagination. What goes against him is the fact that NZ plays so less Test matches that Kane's brilliance does not come to the fore at a rapid pace. He would score a century and the next Test match he plays will be 8 months later. By that time people would forget how great his century was. Compare this to Smith, Kohli and Root who play 10-13 Test matches every year thus remaining at the forefront of everybody's sight.

By the way, Root has to be the most overrated batsman. He just gets the limelight because he's the best in England and the media there highlights him more than any other batsman. Had Kevin Pietersen still be playing, Root would've been a footnote.

 

[the_outsider]

Kiwis are underrated across the board on this forum - not just KW.

If Ross Taylor was from Pakistan or India, he would be rated higher than many of our beloved desi players. The guy has 15k runs in international cricket and has 36 centuries. It's insane that Fakhar Zaman, Babar, Pant, KL Rahul and even Shoaib Malik gets glorified more than him on PP.

Same with Guptill.

And worst of all, Boult, who is an ODI ATG in my opinion, gets overshadowed by the likes of Amir, Hasan Ali, etc on this forum.

Absolutely mind-boggling stuff.

Anyway, coming back to the topic at hand, after Kohli, in my opinion KW is the most complete batsman in cricket today. I would much rather watch KW bat than Joe Root. And you would have to pay me
me heavily if you want me to watch Steve Smith's ugly duckling batting.

 

[the_outsider]

Kiwis are underrated across the board on this forum - not just KW.

If Ross Taylor was from Pakistan or India, he would be rated higher than many of our beloved desi players. The guy has 15k runs in international cricket and has 36 centuries. It's insane that Fakhar Zaman, Babar, Pant, KL Rahul and even Shoaib Malik gets glorified more than him on PP.

Same with Guptill.

And worst of all, Boult, who is an ODI ATG in my opinion, gets overshadowed by the likes of Amir, Hasan Ali, etc on this forum.

Absolutely mind-boggling stuff.

Anyway, coming back to the topic at hand, after Kohli, in my opinion KW is the most complete batsman in cricket today. I would much rather watch KW bat than Joe Root. And you would have to pay me
me heavily if you want me to watch Steve Smith's ugly duckling batting.

Well there you go!

 

[Ab Fan]

Boult is an ODI ATG and a NZ test great.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Best test batsman in world cricket right now.

Shame he plays for a weak batting side in NZ.

P.S: Very poor posts of those calling him overrated.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Willy has stamped himself as the best batsman in world cricket right now.

He can score on any kind of pitch in any match situation. There was never any doubt about his game against express pace and swing/seam but now he has lifted his game against spin to next level too. He is even playing Yasir with ease who is in top form.

A series where batsmen have scored at a SR of 40 he is striking at 50+. What a player!!!

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Willy has stamped himself as the best batsman in world cricket right now.

He can score on any kind of pitch in any match situation. There was never any doubt about his game against express pace and swing/seam but now he has lifted his game against spin to next level too. He is even playing Yasir with ease who is in top form.

A series where batsmen have scored at a SR of 40 he is striking at 50+. What a player!!!

Writing long paras won't help.
Scoring a 50 doesn't make anyone the best batsman, iif performances these years are considered kohli is right on the top without any competition. And hence the best batsman in world cricket.

 

[Ab Fan]

Need to score a match winning hundred here like Joe Root did in SL.

60s and 80s ain't enough.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Writing long paras won't help.
Scoring a 50 doesn't make anyone the best batsman, iif performances these years are considered kohli is right on the top without any competition. And hence the best batsman in world cricket.

Willy is a complete batsman equally good against spin, express pace and swing/seam!

He is a lone warrior unlike Kohli , Root etc.

5 years down the line I might even say he is best test batsman i have seen in my 27 years of watching cricket.

Very unlucky to play for a mediocre NZ batting line up where none other batsman average 50+ and only 1 other average 40+.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Willy is a complete batsman equally good against spin, express pace and swing/seam!

He is a lone warrior unlike Kohli , Root etc.

5 years down the line I might even say he is best test batsman i have seen in my 27 years of watching cricket.

Very unlucky to play for a mediocre NZ batting line up where none other batsman average 50+ and only 1 other average 40+.

Sorry got carried away.
Yeah he is surely underrated but i would say he's somewhat less than kohli just because he hasn't done well this series, stalwarts like root, kohli, smith, kane are expected to score big frequently.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Seried winning hundred in UAE, Williamson is as good as Kohli in tests if not better.

 

[Ab Fan]

Need to score a match winning hundred here like Joe Root did in SL.

60s and 80s ain't enough.

And he does it in style. Fantastic series win for NZ in Asian conditions.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

And he does it in style. Fantastic series win for NZ in Asian conditions.

Much, much better than Root's ton. Root had huge batting support throughout the series, and SL was a complete minnow with a tootless bowling after 1st test when Herath retired. Williamson batted greatly against Yasir and Hasan who both averaged < 22 this series.

 

[BlackShadow]

Can't bat in South Africa, and averages 30-35 in England and India.

Nowhere near Smith or Kohli in Tests.

 

[Ab Fan]

Much, much better than Root's ton. Root had huge batting support throughout the series, and SL was a complete minnow with a tootless bowling after 1st test when Herath retired. Williamson batted greatly against Yasir and Hasan who both averaged < 22 this series.

Root's inning was a great one as well because the conditions weren't all that easy for batting. Obviously, Williamson's inning takes the cake for me. Absolutely turned the match on his head against a good bowling attack, what a player!

 

[happydavy]

The beat test inning of this decade. Won the match from an absolutely hopeless situation. Can't think of a better test inning in the last 10-15 years.