Senior New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor is expecting a brighter future for the New Zealand cricket under Kane Williamson’s captaincy. Williamson made a great start to his captaincy career as his side thrashed Zimbabwe by an innings and 117 runs. Taylor, a successful former skipper himself, said that Williamson is trying to inherit something from former skipper Brendon McCullum, under whom the team showed a fearless brand of cricket. But at the same time Taylor insisted that Williamson is leaving his mark too on the team.
“Kane is trying to take a little bit of what Brendon had but put his own stamp on it too,” Taylor said.
“He has been very relaxed the way he has gone about it. He’s been great to deal with. Obviously when you are captain you can sometimes look after other stuff but it was nice to see him get some runs yesterday (Williamson hit 91).
“He is a class player and I’m sure over time we will see a great captain evolve and hopefully the team can grow with him as well.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s head coach Mike Hesson said that his side’s ability to adapt quickly to unfamiliar conditions was vital factor for the win.
“We talked about playing the long game. We did that,” Hesson said. “We also showed how important the new ball was. We can be a little bit impatient with the ball at times but I am clutching to find some work-ons. Before hand, we said 20 wickets would be tough to take so we’re pleased that we did it.”
Hesson also heaped lavish praise on pacer Neil Wagner. On a pitch that was had almost nothing to offer for the pacers, the left-arm pacer took 6 for 41- his career best figures in Tests.
“When he came up three or four years ago he was excited and keen to make an impression. He probably didn’t stick to his gameplan for too long but he’s a lot more experienced now and he’s certainly got the confidence of the captain,” Hesson said.
“He’s able to change his game, as we saw. He can swing the new ball if he’s given it. He can certainly reverse the old one and we know he can bowl bumpers. Especially on unresponsive surfaces, he’s a good bowler.”
Praising wicktkeeper batsman BJ Watling for his brilliant knock of 107, Hesson said:”He is incredibly perceptive. He is one of the few players that can adapt technique mid-game. He makes subtle changes to his grip. He is a very talented and very hard-working cricketer.”
The second and final match of the series will be played from August 5.