Kane Williamson stands in the middle of Seddon Park, surveying the field for any potential gaps. There are visible red marks on his gray nicols made by the leather hitting the willow. And many more invisible marks by constantly finishing second in ICC events. However, he gets a chance to finish first now as he pushes one to the off side and brings up his 32nd test hundred—the joint most for an active player.
Earlier in the day, Kane Williamson strode out on a bright, blue morning in Hamilton with the sole intention of batting out the day to send South Africa home empty-handed. He capitalized on the short stuff dished out by the inexperienced bowling unit by caressing the ball with late cuts, back foot punches, and the occasional pull shot. A couple of wickets fell around him until he got an able ally in the promising Will Young. The pair put on a century-long partnership to take New Zealand home. The winning shot? A Kane Williamson cover-drive that was timed to perfection and raced to the boundary cushions.
You can judge a person by the way he plays the game. With Kane Williamson, there are no flashy drives, reverse sweeps, innovative shots, or rash slogs. He takes off his helmet and walks away modestly, shaking hands with his opponents as the people on the ground stand and applaud on the grassy banks. There is a serenity to Kane Williamson that is hard to find in the current generation. It’s the same serenity that has gotten him to the top of the world rankings, ahead of his more popular contemporaries.
Steven Smith has not been getting as many runs as he once used to and wants to switch his batting position. Virat Kohli has just missed an entire five-match test series against England for personal reasons. Joe Root is having an inner conflict between his conventional self and bazball fever. Amidst all this, Kane Williamson has been silently piling up runs. Earlier in the year, he saved his team against an inspired Sri Lanka by fighting till the last wicket. He has amassed 7 test hundreds in his last 7 matches. He might just run away with the crown of the best test player without looking back.
That is pure speculation, but his most recent hundred does ensure New Zealand completes its first test series win in 92 years against South Africa. There were debates over the death of test cricket after South Africa named a depleted test squad for the tour with their main players playing the SA-20. One thing that won’t die, however, is Kane Williamson’s hunger for runs.
