Williamson all class: Proteas
The Black Caps’ hopes of claiming what would have been an outstanding test win were literally washed away in Hamilton yesterday. Ian Anderson reports.
Faf du Plessis would have been tucked up in his bed, a grin creasing his face. His counterpart, however, was awake in the wee hours yesterday, witnessing his side’s hopes of a notable test victory being washed away.
‘‘I think I heard it at about 4am,’’ New Zealand cricket captain Kane Williamson said of the constant rain in Hamilton that cost the Black Caps a massive chance of a remarkable test cricket win.
Play was abandoned around 1.20pm on the last day of the third and final test between New Zealand and South Africa, with the match drawn. The Black Caps needed five wickets to win the test and level the series 1-1, with the Proteas still trailing NZ’s first-innings tally by 95 runs.
‘‘I was sort of hoping that it might stop or it might come a little early and fine up,’’ Williamson said of the downpour. ‘‘Obviously very frustrating, coming into the last day with a lot to play for.’’
‘‘Everyone would say New Zealand can count themselves very unlucky,’’ South Africa captain du Plessis acknowledged.
‘‘Rain has come at a terrible time for them. It’s a real fair assessment to say we’ve been saved by the rain.’’
Du Plessis, who was not out overnight along with gifted wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock, said there was still ‘‘a lot of belief in our team that we’ve been in situations like this before and we have overcome them’’.
‘‘If you look realistically, at the odds, New Zealand can count themselves very unlucky. They dominated this test match.’’
New Zealand were eyeing just their fifth test win over South Africa and the first one in 13 years.
Williamson said while there will be lingering frustration over the missed opportunity at Seddon Park, there was plenty to cling to.
‘‘Overall, we have to look at this game as a really positive game and one that was potentially one of our best test performances of the home summer,’’ he said, praising a team that was without star performers Ross Taylor, Trent Boult and Tim Southee through injury.
‘‘The guys picked up the roles they were given with a number of players out . . . and ran with it,’’ Williamson said.
‘‘There was a great buzz amongst the group, although [we were] fairly inexperienced and young. The guys took it on and had a good time and enjoyed themselves. It’s not easy to do at times in test cricket, against one of the best nations, a very strong side.’’
Du Plessis said the three-match series, virtually decided by an awful day three performance from the Black Caps in the second test at the Basin Reserve, ‘‘has been a series of what-ifs’’.
‘‘The first test would have been a great finish. Today would have been very exciting.
‘‘It’s all come down to a test in Wellington where New Zealand had one bad session similar to what we had yesterday. That determines the outcome of the series.’’
Williamson said while the fightback in Hamilton was pleasing, he aimed for more consistency.
‘‘But when you play well in a test match over a period of five days, it is a positive sign.’’ Of course, he was never going to go anywhere near blowing his own trumpet – Black Caps captain Kane Williamson is as self-effacing as they come – though deservedly for him, there was plenty of praise coming from other quarters about his latest masterful batting exploits.
Williamson, long-touted as New Zealand’s brightest batting prospect, once again stood tall for his country, in the hard-fought 1-0 series loss to South Africa, scoring two hundreds in four innings, to seal his place among Kiwi batting royalty.
His majestic man-of-the-match 176 at Seddon Park drew him level with the late Martin Crowe, on a record 17 centuries for New Zealand, while in the process he surpassed 5000 test runs – the quickest to do so wearing the silver fern, and the thirdyoungest of all-time.
But the 26-year-old is as much a master of modesty as he is of the back-foot punch through cover. So there was no surprise to hear him play down his latest feats.
‘‘Hogan [Crowe] is a very special player in our country, our best batsman, extremely stylish and scored a number of runs, he’s always set the benchmark and will continue to be the benchmark, I believe,’’ Williamson said, adding the stats weren’t big focuses of his.
They say the most valuable compliments come from peers and to that end Williamson had no shortage of adulation thrown his way by the Proteas. His opposite, Faf du Plessis, made special mention of him post-match.
‘‘New Zealand played some good cricket, especially Kane,’’ he said. I would like to congratulate him on a good series. Two hundreds out of three games. If we can get Kane, that’s half the battle.’’
South Africa coach Russell Domingo was also openly admiring, saying his players felt Williamson was ‘‘as good a player as they’ve ever played against’’.