Williamson rates highly as test captain
Kane Williamson, New Zealand’s second-most successful test cricket captain.
It has a nice ring to it, but also sounds too good to be true given he took the test reins just 28 months ago, against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
That’s right. Just a tick over two years since he succeeded Brendon McCullum, one more test victory will see 28-year-old Williamson overtake his predecessor and Geoff Howarth’s respective tallies of 11 wins at the helm.
Only Stephen Fleming, with 28 wins from 80 tests in charge, will remain ahead of Williamson if the Black Caps win the first test against Sri Lanka which starts in Wellington tomorrow.
Williamson drew level with McCullum and Howarth in style as man of the match with innings of 89 and 139 as the Black Caps beat Pakistan by 123 runs in Abu Dhabi last week. The seriesclinching victory boosted Williamson’s captaincy tally to 11 wins from just 20 tests, a win percentage of 55 per cent.
For an established New Zealand test skipper that’s unheard of. Howarth’s 37 per cent (11 from 30) sits just ahead of McCullum’s 35 per cent (11 from 31), the latter having the same win rate as Fleming.
Wicketkeeper BJ Watling agreed it was a remarkable statistic.
‘‘He’s found a way to win games, and continued on in his own method what Baz [McCullum] and Hess [former coach Mike Hesson] started. He’s continued it brilliantly. In three years, the number of things we’ve managed to get over the line is a huge achievement,’’ Watling said, as the team trained at the Basin Reserve in Wellington yesterday.
Williamson’s sublime batting deeds speak for themselves, with his Abu Dhabi double lifting him to career-best figures on the world test rankings to sit a close second to India’s master Virat Kohli.
In 20 tests as skipper Williamson averages 58.17, well clear of his career figure of 51.56. It includes six centuries; four of which have led to test victories and the other two rain-affected draws against South Africa. Big runs from your best batsman are gold for any skipper, and sums up his team-first mantra and disinterest in personal milestones.
It also makes it easy to overlook Williamson’s captaincy skills, compared with the imposing, calculating figure of Fleming and the flamboyant, demonstrative McCullum whose leadership was hailed around the world.
‘‘He’s pretty calm and relaxed most of the time, apart from when it comes to the review system where we’ve had our issues, me and him. We managed to get a few over in the UAE and didn’t waste too many, which was positive,’’ Watling said.
‘‘He’s a clever thinker of the game and knowledgeable about how he wants to set his fields and what he wants to create.’’
A deeds rather than words skipper, Williamson’s dressingroom speeches have been well honed.
‘‘It’s something he’s worked on, and over the three years he’s got a lot better in the way he presents a speech and gets his message across,’’ Watling said.
‘‘I know all the boys respect him for the way he plays the game and everyone looks up to him.’’