Ab Fan
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And he has smashed 200 now.
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Contact the PP Team
The Silent Assassin - Kane Williamson, New Zealand's greatest batter
- Thread starter shaz619
- Start date
RedwoodOriginal
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I think the problem with having an inexperienced attack is that you always run the risk of them not knowing what to do collectively when the situation gets tough. You can have an airtight plan but if the bowlers don't execute it, its pointless. This is why I avoid criticizing bowling/batting coaches too much because at the end of the day all they can do is strategize, give guidance and advice. I's up to the bowlers to go execute it. If Naseem is under the pump and starts bowling loosners you can't blame Waqar or the other pacers. Unfortunately, this is a process that we will just have to go through with. That's just how it is when you're rebuilding and looking for guys who can be there for your team in the long-run.
The good thing is that is that Shaheen's bowling has come a long way in a relatively short time. He was our best pacer in Australia and while that's not exactly a compliment, you gotta take into account that he was essentially carrying the bowling attack on his own because of Abbas's injury, and he wasn't half-bad. Had he gotten some support he would have actually turned up with some decent numbers. Abbas ofcourse is also a skillful operator. But the snag that I feel Pakistan runs into is the ineffectiveness of Yasir in SENA, the inexperience of Naseem and the lack of a seam-bowling all-rounder. A combination of all these factors produces an unbalanced bowling attack.
Hitman
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Looking good for a triple here.
Mamoon
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Only when he is batting at home or in UAE.
Let’s see how does in Australia, India, England, South Africa and Sri Lanka in the future. So far he has been completely ordinary in those places.
He gets way too much leniency from the fans on this forum compared to other batsmen of his generation who are never allowed to fail.
Root only scores harmless 50s. He has stats but absolutely no impact. His 50s in Aus and Eng were harmless. Kane got a couple of big tons in Aus
what's wrong with his average in Australia? Think its perfectly fine, 2 centuries in 7 matches, average of 43. In Lanka, he has played 4 matches, won 2 of those and scored a big century in one of the won matches.
cricketjoshila
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He is a very good batsman, but his lack of runs in the subcontinent and Engvand SA means he remains below the likes of Smith and Kohli. Will put him on par Warner. Above Root.
Mamoon
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He is very inconsistent in those countries and has failed apart from the innings where he has scored in three figures.
Averages of 43 in Australia, 35 in India, 30 in England, 21 in South Africa and 26 in Sri Lanka are not remotely good enough for a batsman of his talent, technique and status.
When he fails in these countries he barely scores, and those failures heavily contribute to New Zealand losing in these countries.
In spite of being in a slump for 2-3 years, Root’s away average is still better and he averages more than him in all these countries. That clearly illustrates how much better Root was compared to Williamson during Root’s best years.
If an Indian, Australian or English batsmen would produce the numbers that Williamson has in 4-5 major countries, he will get blasted like no tomorrow.
I guess it is part and parcel of playing for New Zealand. You will not get praised as much as players from India, Australia, England or Pakistan, but you will also not get criticized as much.
In Test cricket, if we talk about the big 4, Smith is clearly number 1 and Kohli is clearly number 2. When it comes to Root and Williamson, if we talk purely current form than Williamson is better than Root at the moment for sure.
However, if we take their entire careers to date into consideration, then Root is significantly better than Williamson.
From 2014 to 2017, Root was extremely consistent (almost averaged 57 at one point) and was running Smith and Kohli close.
On the other hand, Williamson has never scaled those heights and has never got close to Smith and Kohli.
Williamson is a great player, one of the best around. He is also a brilliant ambassador for the game and a good captain, but people have the tendency to overrate his batting a bit and mask and ignore his failures because of the soft spot that they have for him and his team.
Mamoon
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When Kohli and Root fail, they are criticized on PP but when Williamson fails, you hardly hear a peep from anyone.
Mamoon
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Williamson is a phenomenal on NZ pitches and averages around 62.
He knows these conditions like the back of his hand - he negates the early swing (if he gets to bat in the first 15-20 overs) and then he fully capitalizes on the flat wickets and tiny boundaries.
Once you get set in NZ you can score big, and Root demonstrated that last year in December when he scored 226 right in the middle of his slump.
However, on closer inspection, it is obvious that even at home, Williamson mostly cashes in against weak attacks but underperforms against strong attacks.
He averages 144 vs Bangladesh, 100 vs West indies and 72 was Sri Lanka.
He averages 35 vs Australia and 38 vs India.
The only two strong attacks that he has done well against are England (55) and South Africa (67).
He has even failed against a weak attack like Pakistan and has averaged 25, although I am sure he will dominate Pakistan in the coming series because our attack cannot be classified as weak anymore. It is downright horrendous.
On the other hand, just like away from home, Root has done better than Williamson at home against the quality attacks and hasn’t had the opportunity to bash Bangladesh in England against whom Williamson averages 144.
Keeping all this in mind, I will present my conclusion that people find uncomfortable and are not willing to accept.
Williamson is an overrated Test batsman who does not get the criticism that he deserves because of the profile of his team and also the way he carries himself on the field.
Overall, Root has been a better Test player against good attacks in spite of his slump that has been ongoing since 2018.
However, if Root does not recapture his old form and if this continues, then Williamson will certainly be ranked as a superior Test batsman by the end of this careers.
He knows these conditions like the back of his hand - he negates the early swing (if he gets to bat in the first 15-20 overs) and then he fully capitalizes on the flat wickets and tiny boundaries.
Once you get set in NZ you can score big, and Root demonstrated that last year in December when he scored 226 right in the middle of his slump.
However, on closer inspection, it is obvious that even at home, Williamson mostly cashes in against weak attacks but underperforms against strong attacks.
He averages 144 vs Bangladesh, 100 vs West indies and 72 was Sri Lanka.
He averages 35 vs Australia and 38 vs India.
The only two strong attacks that he has done well against are England (55) and South Africa (67).
He has even failed against a weak attack like Pakistan and has averaged 25, although I am sure he will dominate Pakistan in the coming series because our attack cannot be classified as weak anymore. It is downright horrendous.
On the other hand, just like away from home, Root has done better than Williamson at home against the quality attacks and hasn’t had the opportunity to bash Bangladesh in England against whom Williamson averages 144.
Keeping all this in mind, I will present my conclusion that people find uncomfortable and are not willing to accept.
Williamson is an overrated Test batsman who does not get the criticism that he deserves because of the profile of his team and also the way he carries himself on the field.
Overall, Root has been a better Test player against good attacks in spite of his slump that has been ongoing since 2018.
However, if Root does not recapture his old form and if this continues, then Williamson will certainly be ranked as a superior Test batsman by the end of this careers.
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Black Caps captain Kane Williamson has scored the third double-century of his illustrious test career.
Williamson brought up the milestone during the second session on day two of the first test between New Zealand and the West Indies in Hamilton.
He registered his 22nd test ton early on Friday morning and kept going as the hosts built a big first innings score on the back of his contribution at Seddon Park.
The 30-year-old's top test score is an unbeaten 242 against Sri Lanka at the Basin Reserve in January 2015, while his other double ton came in Hamilton versus Bangladesh in February last year.
The captain hit the accelerator after bringing up his 200 with a cover drive and survived a top-edged cut over slip before hitting Kemar Roach for four and six off the next two balls.
Roach looked to have extracted revenge when Williamson edged the next ball through to stand-in keeper Shamarh Brooks but the captain was recalled when walking off when it was revealed the delivery was a no-ball.
Williamson has compiled a remarkable record at the venue.
He now has two double centuries and three tons at Seddon Park in 17 innings – all coming within his last 10 bats here. He began the day averaging 83.38 in Hamilton.
New Zealand’s top test century-makers:
22 – Kane Williamson
19 – Ross Taylor
17 – Martin Crowe
12 – John Wright, Brendon McCullum
11 – Tom Latham, Nathan Astle
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/crick...ne-williamson-scores-third-test-doublecentury
Williamson brought up the milestone during the second session on day two of the first test between New Zealand and the West Indies in Hamilton.
He registered his 22nd test ton early on Friday morning and kept going as the hosts built a big first innings score on the back of his contribution at Seddon Park.
The 30-year-old's top test score is an unbeaten 242 against Sri Lanka at the Basin Reserve in January 2015, while his other double ton came in Hamilton versus Bangladesh in February last year.
The captain hit the accelerator after bringing up his 200 with a cover drive and survived a top-edged cut over slip before hitting Kemar Roach for four and six off the next two balls.
Roach looked to have extracted revenge when Williamson edged the next ball through to stand-in keeper Shamarh Brooks but the captain was recalled when walking off when it was revealed the delivery was a no-ball.
Williamson has compiled a remarkable record at the venue.
He now has two double centuries and three tons at Seddon Park in 17 innings – all coming within his last 10 bats here. He began the day averaging 83.38 in Hamilton.
New Zealand’s top test century-makers:
22 – Kane Williamson
19 – Ross Taylor
17 – Martin Crowe
12 – John Wright, Brendon McCullum
11 – Tom Latham, Nathan Astle
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/crick...ne-williamson-scores-third-test-doublecentury
Ab Fan
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Kane is a brilliant player under pressure and better than Root. His hundred Vs Pakistan in UAE or his hundred against SA four years ago at home when SA were a strong team are absolutely masterclass performances helping his team win games which in past they would lose from there.
His batting and captaincy both were the reasons why he was given the man of the series award, for being able to push the team beyond their potential and lose the game only by some absurd boundary rule playing against England in England in the finals.
As for Root, he simply don't have the ruthlessness to win the games the way Smith and Kohli and to an extent Kane does. That 200 he scored on a flat deck could have been in winning cause but he batted slowly and conservatively and that costed his team a win. Often when the game is on line, it is Ben Stokes who overshadowed him with the bat and is seen as bigger wicket for the opposition.
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Root is a statisticians dream. Soft 50s. Kane was brilliant in the WC as well. Singlehandedly carrying NZ batting in match vs SA and W.i and was also brilliant vs Ind in the semi final and thats the reason he was given MOS which he deserved.
Mamoon
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The problem with using the “performs under pressure” argument is that people apply it selectively and conveniently.
Williamson’s average record in several countries proves that he doesn’t always perform under pressure because New Zealand are regularly under the pump in countries like Australia, India, England, South Africa and even Sri Lanka and he has largely failed to perform in these countries.
On the other contrary, one can argue that Root’s 254 against Pakistan at Old Trafford was a pressure innings because England were 1-0 down.
One can argue that a Man of the Series performance in the 2015 Ashes was an exhibition of performing under pressure.
In the first Test, England were 40/3 before Root scored 134 at a SR of 80+ against Starc, Johnson and Hazlewood.
He pretty much single-handedly won the third Test in South Africa in 2016 with a century against a rampant Rabada and Morkel.
On his debut as Test captain in 2017, he scored 190 at a SR of 80+ when England were 70/4 against a rampant Rabada, Philander and Morkel to set up a win for England.
In 2018, his counter-attacking 124 in the second innings in Sri Lanka was also a pressure innings because Sri Lanka had a sizable first innings lead and England were 100/4 in the second innings. His hundred won the game for England as they won by 50 odd runs.
The 226 in New Zealand last December was also a pressure innings as it saved England from a whitewash and they were 20/2 when he arrived to the crease.
It is a myth that Root has only scored soft runs and hasn’t performed under pressure. It is also a myth that Williamson is a better pressure.
As I said, people use different standards to judge Williamson than they do to judge Root and Kohli, and that is why they give Williamson far more leniency.
As far as the 2019 World Cup is concerned, there is absolutely no way he deserved the player of the tournament ahead of Stokes.
Stokes was robbed and it was a farce. He produced one of the most influential performances ever by an individual in a World Cup.
Also, what captaincy? New Zealand qualified for the semifinals due to NRR and finished level on points with Sarfraz’s mediocre Pakistan to whom he lost.
His team also got thrashed by Australia and England in the group stage and barely scraped over the finish line against West Indies.
Williamson was neither the best player or the best captain during the World Cup. As I said, he was given the player of the tournament award out of sympathy because of the circumstances in which New Zealand lost the final.
If England would have won the super over by runs, or if they would have chased the total in the last over of their innings or if New Zealand would have defended the total in the last over, there is no doubt that Stokes would have been declared the player of the tournament.
Williamson was one of the best players of the World Cup but he was not the best by any means. Stokes was.
As far as captaincy is concerned, the best captain of the tournament was Morgan not just because England won the World Cup but also because of the way he kept everything together when England looked like they were falling apart.
When England stuttered in the group stage and were on the brink of elimination, they faced intense criticism not only from outside but also from within the England press as their aggressive playing style was questioned.
At that point, Morgan didn’t listen to the detractors and proved them wrong by keeping faith in his system and beat India, New Zealand and Australia en route to the final while playing on his terms. It was a display of proper leadership.
Even in the final, England’s positive approach paid dividends in the end because they kept trying to attack New Zealand and didn’t go in their shells in spite of losing wickets, which is exactly the opposite of what New Zealand did and England eventually won by boundary count.
Robert
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Not be better than whom?
Aman
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Root has been washed for 2-3 years.. Is his career average in the 30s yet or has he continued to score useless 50s to keep his average respectable?
Babar has already surpassed him and should be taken his spot in the Fab 4.
IIRC he's scored like 2 centuries away from home... he gets 5 games in India, Aus etc. to get use to conditions and his numbers still aren't great.
Kane has his obvious flaws, but to say Root is better than him is insulting. 99% of his knocks have no influence on the result and he isn't even the second most important batsmen in his team.
Babar has already surpassed him and should be taken his spot in the Fab 4.
IIRC he's scored like 2 centuries away from home... he gets 5 games in India, Aus etc. to get use to conditions and his numbers still aren't great.
Kane has his obvious flaws, but to say Root is better than him is insulting. 99% of his knocks have no influence on the result and he isn't even the second most important batsmen in his team.
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Ab Fan
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Performs under pressure" is a criteria applied selectively only for South Africans not for the rest. You are England cricket fan, so obviously you will have your share of bias.
I have nothing for or against Kane or Root but you can see why most posters over here are rating Kane higher than Root. Kane is NZ's most important player of this generation while for England, a case can be made for numerous guys.
Hasan123
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Williamson is a brilliant batter but he does need to improve his away record. And he should be criticized more for it. It isn't good enough for a player of his ability. But he is still 1 of the top batters of this generation.
RedwoodOriginal
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His stats are beside the point. The man just bats beautifully.
And if there's any player in the world who deserves leniency, its Kane. Just for being a top bloke and a stand-up guy.
Robert
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shariqnoor
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I can see mountain of runs coming against Pakistan. Both Latham and Williamson will make merry against us unless they get out to soft deliveries.
Robert
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Root still averages 48 in tests. I am hoping that with the emergence of Creepy to take some pressure off him he will improve, but I think it unlikely as captaincy ruins most England players' batting games. Vaughan, Flintoff, Strauss, Cook and Root all dropped in run production as skipper. I think the last one whose game held up was Nasser.
Root is the better ODI player than Williamson however.
zain7077
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I think Shaheen will trouble Latham a lot.
Mamoon
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Well you applied it selectively here. You cherry-picked Williamson’s innings under pressure and then dismissed Root as a soft player while ignoring his quality knocks under pressure.
The reason why most people here rate Williamson higher than Root is not just because Williamson is clearly better on current form but also because he plays for a low profile team and not a member of the evil big 3.
As far my bias is concerned, I would take Williamson over Root in Test cricket on current form without question, but I would also take peak Root over Williamson without question because Root at his best is clearly a better batsman against quality bowling lineups.
shariqnoor
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Possibly with the new ball for a couple of overs but if Latham survives it, then it'll be very difficult to dislodge him. Of late Pakistan has become a new ball bowling attack. Once the shine goes, every bowler in the lineup becomes super ordinary.
Rayyman
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His away games are on much tougher surfaces than other batsmen.
In the recent past, NZ have played on green mambas in ENG/SA and minefields in India.
For example, last time NZ went to India, they had to play on dustbowls where Ashwin took 27 wickets. NZ don’t have good spinners so teams give them really hard turning pitches.
On the other hand when England last went to India, Moeen Ali, Keaton Jennings and Haseeb Hameed all got hundreds while Karun Nair got 300. That should tell you about the pitches.
NZ get similar treatment in SA where Steyn got 7 wickets in one match against them.
I like statistics, but they do not tell you the whole picture. You have to look at context and if you watched those series, then you know what I am talking about.
Hasan123
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I have seen Kane Williamson bat in overseas conditions so please don't tell me I need to watch the whole series.
The fact of the matter his overseas record isn't good enough for a player of his quality. He should be criticized for it
Rayyman
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Kane is skilled in enough as Test batsman to perform in any conditions.
The stats may say otherwise, but he has as much ability as anybody not named Smith.
The stats may say otherwise, but he has as much ability as anybody not named Smith.
HappyWarsFan
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He is like another Mahela Jayawardene.
I think shaheen will trouble latham alot
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He is set for a big 100, possibly a double hundred in the 1st Test vs Pakistan - but what a player he is
Came in when NZ could have lost more wickets, steadied the ship and now at the cusp of taking the game away from Pakistan at 94* at end of Day 1
Came in when NZ could have lost more wickets, steadied the ship and now at the cusp of taking the game away from Pakistan at 94* at end of Day 1
TheRock
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IMO
Smith > Williamson > Kohli in Tests
Smith > Williamson > Kohli in Tests
jeeteshssaxena
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Wrong
Smith>Kohli>Williamson
Williamson will always be overrated bcoz he is a gentleman unlike the other two brats.
Kinda Like Dravid, he was never better than Tendu but still quite a few indians think he is our best test bat.
But yeah Root is out of the competition now.
Savak
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Williamson thrives against Line and Length bowlers. You need someone to charge in looking to take his head off or target his toes. Starc doesn't look to bowl line and length stuff at him, he tries to bowl a wicket taking delivery every ball and it works against Williamson.
Honestly speaking Waqar's over coaching line and length stuff is killing our bowling attack.
Honestly speaking Waqar's over coaching line and length stuff is killing our bowling attack.
Couple things to note I guess:
1) Williamson made his test debut at a much younger age than Root (when he'd just turned 20) because of how weak the NZ team was at the time. Williamson wasn't ready for tests at that age, and it's affected his overall record. If you look at his numbers in tests from the age when Root made his debut (22), they're significantly better, averaging 53 v Australia, about 43-44 v South Africa and England, and only below 40 v India (34)
2) Yeah, his away record v the major nations is not great, but partly that's a product of NZ getting shoved into so many 2 game series. It's harder for touring batsmen to adjust in such short series (especially in the modern era when warm-up games are so often just 13 man a side open-net sessions). It's no surprise that Williamson has generally faired better on tours of Australia and the UAE - where NZ have tended to play 3-test series more often.
I'd rate Williamson over Root (especially because he bats higher in the order and has to deal with the ball when it's slightly newer, and the bowlers when they're a bit more fresh).
Hasan123
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He knows how to destroy the weaker teams at home. Want to see him perform away from home against the top teams.
Phantom Menace
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So I did a quick compilation of stats for the Fab 4 in what I would call the Fab Four Era. The date I picked to start from was the 14th of March 2013 which represents Smith's recall to the Australian test team and the point in time where all of the fab 4 became test regulars.
Steven Smith
Matches - 70
Runs - 6970
Average - 64.53
Home Average - 72.43
Away+Neutral Average - 59.10
Asia Average - 48.00
Peak year (min. 500 runs) - 2014 with 1146 runs at 81.85
Kane Williamson
Matches - 61
Runs - 5707
Average - 62.71
Home Average - 70.00
Away+Neutral Average - 55.58
Asia Average - 52.80
Peak year (min. 500 runs) - 2015 with 1172 runs at 90.15
Virat Kohli
Matches - 71
Runs - 6286
Average - 56.12
Home Average - 72.55
Away+Neutral Average - 47.00
SENA Average - 47.94
Peak year (min. 500 runs) - 2016 with 1215 runs at 75.93
Joe Root
Matches - 95
Runs - 7726
Average - 48.28
Home Average - 50.55
Away+Neutral Average - 45.64
Asia Average - 44.20
Peak year (min. 500 runs) - 2014 with 777 runs at 97.12
Some notable things from this:
Smith, Kohli and Williamson are all absolute kings at home, averaging 70+ while Root is well behind at only 50 average.
Root has the lowest Average, Away average and foreign conditions average of all four batsmen.
Root's away average suffers the most of the four with the amount of touring Aus and India he has to do.
Kohli was the last of the group to become a great batsman. Smith, Root and Williamson all ascended to a level of greatness in 2014 while for Kohli it did not happen until 2016.
Kohli has been a world class batsman for the longest time, first getting to that level in 2012.
Williamson's stats before this time were 21 matches with a 30 average. Being picked much younger than the others and in to a much worse team dynamic has probably hurt his overall career stats more than we realize.
Root is the only one of the fab four to not maintain a level of greatness once reaching it and has dipped down to merely world class since 2016. In fact he only has 2 great years of batting, 2014 and 2015 and some would say that the last couple of years he has not even been world class.
Williamson's stats are almost as good as Smith's and clearly better than Kohli's during this time which surprised me.
Root plays a ton of test cricket. I wish we got to see the other fab four players that much.
No neutral tests for Kohli makes me a sad boy. I'd love to see him face Pakistan.
If Root does not regain his best form his legacy is going to need some very heavy lifting from being associated to the Fab Four group and being from the Big 3.
Steven Smith
Matches - 70
Runs - 6970
Average - 64.53
Home Average - 72.43
Away+Neutral Average - 59.10
Asia Average - 48.00
Peak year (min. 500 runs) - 2014 with 1146 runs at 81.85
Kane Williamson
Matches - 61
Runs - 5707
Average - 62.71
Home Average - 70.00
Away+Neutral Average - 55.58
Asia Average - 52.80
Peak year (min. 500 runs) - 2015 with 1172 runs at 90.15
Virat Kohli
Matches - 71
Runs - 6286
Average - 56.12
Home Average - 72.55
Away+Neutral Average - 47.00
SENA Average - 47.94
Peak year (min. 500 runs) - 2016 with 1215 runs at 75.93
Joe Root
Matches - 95
Runs - 7726
Average - 48.28
Home Average - 50.55
Away+Neutral Average - 45.64
Asia Average - 44.20
Peak year (min. 500 runs) - 2014 with 777 runs at 97.12
Some notable things from this:
Smith, Kohli and Williamson are all absolute kings at home, averaging 70+ while Root is well behind at only 50 average.
Root has the lowest Average, Away average and foreign conditions average of all four batsmen.
Root's away average suffers the most of the four with the amount of touring Aus and India he has to do.
Kohli was the last of the group to become a great batsman. Smith, Root and Williamson all ascended to a level of greatness in 2014 while for Kohli it did not happen until 2016.
Kohli has been a world class batsman for the longest time, first getting to that level in 2012.
Williamson's stats before this time were 21 matches with a 30 average. Being picked much younger than the others and in to a much worse team dynamic has probably hurt his overall career stats more than we realize.
Root is the only one of the fab four to not maintain a level of greatness once reaching it and has dipped down to merely world class since 2016. In fact he only has 2 great years of batting, 2014 and 2015 and some would say that the last couple of years he has not even been world class.
Williamson's stats are almost as good as Smith's and clearly better than Kohli's during this time which surprised me.
Root plays a ton of test cricket. I wish we got to see the other fab four players that much.
No neutral tests for Kohli makes me a sad boy. I'd love to see him face Pakistan.
If Root does not regain his best form his legacy is going to need some very heavy lifting from being associated to the Fab Four group and being from the Big 3.
Ab Fan
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Kane stats are certainly inflated but by no means he is any lesser batsman than Root. His match winning knock against Pakistan in UAE was better than the match winning Knock that Root played in Sri Lanka.
Kane has two brilliant hundreds in Australia albeit on flat wickets while Root's hundred in SA was brilliant too l but he hasn't done anything worth a discussion in Australia.
Root's hundred in the Ashes at home were quality ones but Kane's 176 vs SA at home was equally top notch, if not for rain NZ would have drew or even won that series.
Kane is a much better captain than Root.
Kane has two brilliant hundreds in Australia albeit on flat wickets while Root's hundred in SA was brilliant too l but he hasn't done anything worth a discussion in Australia.
Root's hundred in the Ashes at home were quality ones but Kane's 176 vs SA at home was equally top notch, if not for rain NZ would have drew or even won that series.
Kane is a much better captain than Root.
King_Kohli
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Good analysis.
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The unstoppable Kane Williamson - 129 in the first innings vs Pakistan in the 1st Test
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WELLINGTON, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Kane Williamson is all business when he takes the crease but playing alongside one of New Zealand’s all-time greats is still a lot of fun, said wicketkeeper BJ Watling after the hosts took control on day two of the first test against Pakistan on Sunday.
Williamson completed his 23rd test century at Mount Maunganui, showing why he is considered one of the premier batsmen of his era along with India’s Virat Kohli, Australian Steve Smith and Joe Root of England.
“He has just become a father, and it was a special innings for Boxing Day. He just set us up for a big total,” Watling said after the hosts posted 431 in their first innings and reduced Pakistan to 30-1 in the series opener.
Williamson hit 12 boundaries and a six in his 129 before Watling (73) added 66 runs for the seventh wicket with Kyle Jamieson to stretch their tally.
“You can look at some his shots, and he’s pure class,” Watling said of his captain.
“Twenty-three centuries is pretty special, and he’ll hate me for saying it, but he’s right up there among New Zealand’s greats, isn’t he?
“There’s not a lot of chat when batting with him but playing with him is obviously a lot of fun.”
Williamson completed his 23rd test century at Mount Maunganui, showing why he is considered one of the premier batsmen of his era along with India’s Virat Kohli, Australian Steve Smith and Joe Root of England.
“He has just become a father, and it was a special innings for Boxing Day. He just set us up for a big total,” Watling said after the hosts posted 431 in their first innings and reduced Pakistan to 30-1 in the series opener.
Williamson hit 12 boundaries and a six in his 129 before Watling (73) added 66 runs for the seventh wicket with Kyle Jamieson to stretch their tally.
“You can look at some his shots, and he’s pure class,” Watling said of his captain.
“Twenty-three centuries is pretty special, and he’ll hate me for saying it, but he’s right up there among New Zealand’s greats, isn’t he?
“There’s not a lot of chat when batting with him but playing with him is obviously a lot of fun.”
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kane Williamson - great cricketer, brilliant sportsman. Here he is pictured congratulating Faheem Ashraf on his excellent innings of 91 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/ebcU53khxM">pic.twitter.com/ebcU53khxM</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1343581261630210048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Hasan123
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Why does this get highlighted when Williamson does this? I have seen lots of players do this, I have seen players do it when opponents have played better innings than Faheem did and in bigger games.
Hasan123
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Williamson is a genius of a batsmen. We know he can batter the weaker test teams at home.
He really needs to dominate series away from home against the better teams like Kohli and Smith have in tests.
He really needs to dominate series away from home against the better teams like Kohli and Smith have in tests.
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New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has surged ahead of Steve Smith and Virat Kohli to seize the top spot for batsmen in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after his player of the match effort in the first Test against Pakistan in Tauranga.
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What a batsman this guy is - Calm and cool - just gets on with his job!
112* at Stumps on Day 3 of 2nd Test.
112* at Stumps on Day 3 of 2nd Test.
Savak
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There is a world class method and approach behind his batting. He really dips deep and bats with tremendous discipline, calmness early on and is willing to be 5 runs of 60 deliveries while putting the bowling attack in a tremendous sense of complacency that they have him under check and control but then scores 107 runs of the next 50-60 deliveries completely shell shocking the tired bowlers. I wish our batsmen can learn from him on how not to be one dimensional in test cricket at the crease.
globalcitizen
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Kane has been brilliant in this series no doubt, but it was disappointing that he could not get to double digit scores in Australia series. He has to start standing up in tough matches to deserve that top ranking
JibranAnsari
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Just 11 runs away from 7000 runs in test cricket , what a batsman.
Nikhil_cric
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Nothing silent about him today. He was scoring at nearly 75 strike rate before Nichols' injury and the 2and new ball.
shah_1
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Minnow bowling basher
He flopped against Australia in 2019/2020
He flopped against Australia in 2019/2020
Savak
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Thats because Starc looks to take his head off with bouncers and yorkers, none of the line and length stuff
Amjid Javed
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In terms of batting quality he is probably 2nd best Kiwi batsmen ever behind Martin Crowe. But he is getting up to that level in terms of performing against top bowlers and when his team needs it most.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">�� The first centurion of 2021!<br><br>An incredible innings from Kane Williamson. He slammed four fours in an over to go from 78 to 94 ��<br><br>24th Test hundred for the New Zealand skipper ��<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvPAK</a> <a href="https://t.co/rvz9NFR0Ls">pic.twitter.com/rvz9NFR0Ls</a></p>— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1345951508785815552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Hasan123
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He is literally unstoppable at home against these weak attacks. Need to see him perform against the top teams away from home.
King_Kohli
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Kane Williamson completes 7000 test runs.
Most test runs by a NZ batsman
R.Taylor - 7379
S.Fleming - 7172
K.Williamson - 7000**
Most runs in test cricket since K.Williamson's debut
Cook - 8108
Root - 7823
VK - 7318
Warner - 7244
S.Smith - 7137
Williamson - 7000**
Most test runs by a NZ batsman
R.Taylor - 7379
S.Fleming - 7172
K.Williamson - 7000**
Most runs in test cricket since K.Williamson's debut
Cook - 8108
Root - 7823
VK - 7318
Warner - 7244
S.Smith - 7137
Williamson - 7000**
Mamoon
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Silently assassinated Pakistani bowlers. The quality of bowling was shocking, but it was a beautiful innings in terms of aesthetic pleasure.
Williamson is at his batting peak now. His average record against quality attacks in the past should not hold relevance because at this point, he has a very good chance of dominating any bowling attack.
He is very close to reaching batting perfection especially in Test cricket.
Williamson is at his batting peak now. His average record against quality attacks in the past should not hold relevance because at this point, he has a very good chance of dominating any bowling attack.
He is very close to reaching batting perfection especially in Test cricket.
Hyperion66
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This. Thank you for saying it out loud. Very good batsman but questionable stats outside of NZ.
Suleiman
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He does not have the swagger of Afridi, but is a king on the field, and he really is a silent assassin . Pure decimation. In this day and age, he is the batsman you want to emulate when it comes to technique.
Pakistani uncles like Waqar say Asad Technique is the epitome of technique, well I hope Waqar learned what true technique is.
Pakistani uncles like Waqar say Asad Technique is the epitome of technique, well I hope Waqar learned what true technique is.
cricketjoshila
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King_Kohli
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Kohli's worst average in any country is 35.61 in West Indies.
This excludes Bangladesh, where he has batted once.
Smith's worst (outside Bangladesh) is 41.10 in South Africa.
Williamson averages 35.46 in India, 30.87 in England, 26.71 in Sri Lanka, 21.16 in South Africa.
Joseph Gomes
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Grade A home bully, should not be compared to Root who has scored evenly all around the world.
Root's average away
Australia - 38.oo
India - 53.09
New Zealand - 39.08
South Africa - 50.21
Sri Lanka - 38.16
UAE - 57.40
West Indies - 53.50
Root has incomparably better away average everywhere. NZ is also MUCH, MUCH flatter than England, England is much more bowling friendly.
Root's average away
Australia - 38.oo
India - 53.09
New Zealand - 39.08
South Africa - 50.21
Sri Lanka - 38.16
UAE - 57.40
West Indies - 53.50
Root has incomparably better away average everywhere. NZ is also MUCH, MUCH flatter than England, England is much more bowling friendly.
Space Cat
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Surely Root should average more than 39 in NZ then by that logic?
Kane has done better than Root in Australia, New Zealand and UAE. Useless fifties don't count much.
Joseph Gomes
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39 is very good away average, it's almost 40. The only country Root has failed in is Bangladesh. Williamson has flopped in half the countries he played in.
Williamson's away average
Australia - 42.84
England - 30.87
India - 35.46
South Africa - 21.16
Sri Lanka - 26.71
UAE - 64.70
West Indies - 51.33
Williamson has 36+ average in just 3 away countries. Root's lowest away average is 38.00 in Australia, has 50+ average in 4 countries (including South Africa and India). They are not even on the same level.
Joseph Gomes
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Lol coping hard here I see. 30 avg in England, 21 avg in South Africa and 26 average is Sri Lanka is hard to accept I know
That's 3-3 and Kane is miles better than Root at home. So, Kane wins.
Joseph Gomes
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Away performance >>>> home performance. Williamson is basically a slightly better Warner.
Space Cat
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39 is almost 40?
Groundbreaking analysis.
Kohli has similar away stats so better lump him in with Kane.
jeeteshssaxena
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Two years back Joe Root would have been my pick but anyone who watches test cricket these days knows that Kane Williamson has left Joe Root behind and that too by a considerable margin
All these away stats matter only when you dominate series or play impactful knocks, Joe Root has been nothing but a Ajinkya Rahane clone away from home.
Very good average but it hides the fact that he makes soft fifties.
The fact that Joe Root who is the premier batsman of England doesn't even have a century in Australia (Ashes) says a lot about his "Away Stats".
All these away stats matter only when you dominate series or play impactful knocks, Joe Root has been nothing but a Ajinkya Rahane clone away from home.
Very good average but it hides the fact that he makes soft fifties.
The fact that Joe Root who is the premier batsman of England doesn't even have a century in Australia (Ashes) says a lot about his "Away Stats".
Hasan123
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I have been saying this for a while. But I’m sure the next tours outside of NZ he will improve.
Hyperion66
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No doubt that he is one of the finest bats of our time but for some reason fans in general do not scrutinize or micro analyze his performances as much as they do for Kohli, Smith or even Root. Imagine if Kohli averaged 40 in Aus, 30 in Eng and a marvelous 21 in SA!!
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The problem with those Eng and SA averages are that he's played only 4 matches in each of those countries, and hasn't toured either of those countries for the last 5 years, during which he's been in the best form of his career. No doubt he would improve those figures if he toured now.
However I do agree with the broader point you're making. He is a lot less criticised than the rest of the big 4 batsmen
Hasan123
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Kohli failed in his 1st tour to England and was written off a test player but when Williamson fails on a tour, it's someone else's fault lol.
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