The 154-run knock at the Seddon Park in Hamilton during the second innings of the third Test for New Zealand against England leapfrogged the average of Kane Williamson to 100 at the venue. He was standing on an unbeaten 50 by the end of the second day’s play. The entire morning session was washed off.
Nothing was going in the favor of England, who lost their captain, Ben Stokes, after a while due to an injury. The home is already in a very strong position, with a lead of over 340 runs. Kane Williamson, by then, had already soaked the applause that his old team-mates Tim Southee had grabbed over the last week.
The right-handed veteran batter reached the three figures with a simple but crazy straight drive six over Jacob Bethell, who had replaced Stokes for the hamstring injury. He probably would have been trapped leg before the stumps to Brydon Carse on 73, could have been caught on 80, or should have been caught on 86. But the Seddon Park luck was in his corridor.
“It’s so far away at the moment”- Kane Williamson on Test future
It was one of the competitive centuries from Kane Williamson at the venue where he loves to come out with the bat in hand. In 2019, he smashed an unbeaten 200-run knock against Bangladesh, followed by another unbeaten 104 against England in the same year. The 251-run knock against West Indies was another feature before the 133-unbeaten runs against South Africa at the start of the year.
But is it the near end of another successful career for the former Kiwi captain? His decision not to sign the central contract could be a sign of that for sure. He, however, was well aware of the end of Southee, who made his final appearance in the longest format on the 107th occasion.
“Well, the ground announcers kept us well aware. He’s had several guards of honor! You got the sense Williamson, 105 caps of his own, was embarrassed by the fuss on his mate’s behalf.” Kane Williamson expressed at the press conference, standing on his 105th red-ball game.
Without a check of the record book, he is the leading run-getter for the New Zealand side in the format with 9276 runs in 186 innings at an average of 54.88 and a strike rate of 51.76 with the help of 33 centuries and 37 half-centuries.
The Northern District batter wasn’t available during the three-match away series in India. There is no rush for him, but their next assignment in the format is the two-match series in July against Zimbabwe. It’s a gap that the Tauranga-born is well aware of. There is international cricket and those franchise leagues that anyone would love to keep an eye on for the future.
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“It’s so far away at the moment. I’m just focusing on right now and getting through the rest of the summer. There’s a bunch of different cricket coming up, and Champions Trophy obviously, which is exciting. Yeah, just see how it goes. I love Test cricket. As you mention, there’s not a huge amount of it for some time, such is the schedule.” Kane Williamson addressed whether he would be around for the Zimbabwe series.
He finished the year with 1013 Test runs in 18 innings at an average of 54.43 with the help of four centuries and as many half-centuries. There is so much uncertainty and clouds over the future, but at this stage, where Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson have already taken the route, it won’t and shouldn’t be a surprise.