New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was praised by South African head coach Russell Domingo for his splendid performance with the bat in the recently concluded three-match ANZ Test series while rating him among the premium batsman of the modern-day Test cricket.
“We’ve played against some proper players – Ricky Ponting, Steve Smith, with Jacques Kallis, and he’s up there, no doubt about it,” Domingo was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
The 26-year-old right-handed batsman Williamson smashed two centuries in the series which was clinched by South Africa 1-0.
In three-match series against the Proteas, Williamson scored 309 runs at the staggering average of 77.25 in four innings.
The Tauranga-born has also equalled the record of 17 Test hundreds which was set by Martin Crowe in 77 Tests for the Black Caps. However, Williamson went on to smash record-equalling Test ton in his 61st Test at Seddon Park.
“To have 17 centuries is phenomenal but also the way he goes about his business – he’s a quality guy, unassuming, comes across as really nice,” Domingo added.
In the Test series decider, Williamson has scored 176 runs from 285 balls in Hamilton Test after hitting 130 at Dunedin. However, both the Tests were drawn as the final days were washed-out.
The remarkable performance from Williamson on Thursday has won him the coveted award known as the Sir Richard Hadlee medal for the New Zealand Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Domingo stated Williamson is among the elite cricketers as he has show grit against South Africa to rescue hosts most of the time. Williamson has the caliber to make conditions tough for the opposition.
In the recent past, Domingo had put his bet on South African star batsman Hashim Amla and southpaw Quinton de Kock after showering praise on Faf du Plessis for his composed character to lead his team in the absence of AB de Villiers.
On the other side, New Zealand head coach Mike Hesson has lauded the efforts of Williamson for his consistent performances for Kiwis team.
“I understand you might not get quotes out of him talking about himself but that’s him, he doesn’t do it for effect, he does it because that’s what he cares about, he cares about the team,” Mike Hesson said on Williamson
Earlier, under his tutelage, Kiwi’s reclaimed the 3-match One-day International Chappell-Hadlee trophy against Australia 2-0 at home in February this year.
“From Christmas on, he’s been exceptional in all forms – reads the game well, gets to know the players and what makes them tick, a real effort to get the best out of everybody,” Hesson concluded.
Since making his debut in 2010, Williamson has played 61 Tests and in 110 innings he amassed 5,116 runs at an average of 51.16 which include 17 hundreds and 25 fifties.