Kane Williamson – The Prodigy
Kane Williamson is one of the most complete batsmen of the modern era. He showed great potential since the early days. Ken scored 40 centuries before he left school. Williamson made his first-class debut at the age of 17 for Northern Districts. He also led the New Zealand team at the under-19 World Cup in 2008. Kane scored a century on Test debut against India at Ahmedabad in 2010.
Twin Logan and Siblings:
Logan is a twin of Kane and born a few minutes later. They share a great bond. Kane also has three older sisters Anna, Sophie and Kylie. They all represented their region in volleyball. Sachin Tendulkar was the childhood hero of Kane Williamson.
Early Days:
Williamson grew up in Tauranga. Trent Boult was his neighbor. Williamson excel in many sports in school like cricket, rugby, basketball etc. Doug Bracewell, the Kiwi Test bowler was Ken’s classmate. As 12 years old, Williamson once scored 285 runs in a competition and dismissed only once. Doug said, “I reckon he went two or three years without being dismissed”. Ken joined Tauranga Boys’ College in 2004. He was the head boy in his final year. His coach Pacey Depina described Ken as, “a thirst to be phenomenal – but not at anyone else’s expense.”
Embed from Getty ImagesHeart of Gold:
Ken was playing an important school game and he nicked one delivery down the leg. The umpire signaled a wide, but he walked off. His coach asked him why you walked when the umpire signaled it wide. Ken replied “I hit it. So, I am out.” His coach was spellbound by his honesty.
Martin Crowe was a Fan:
Martin Crowe admired Kane’s batting style. He wrote in Cricinfo, “While an extremely busy player, it’s his quiet defence that stands out. The ball is met with a cushion in his hand, his framework right behind the line, his head staring the action down.”
Embed from Getty ImagesHumanitarian Work:
Kane Williamson donated his entire match fees for all the five ODIs to the victims of the 2014 Peshawar school massacre where 141 people were killed including 132 children.
Josh Syms, his social science teacher and cricket coach at school said “He is an absolute star in world cricket. But for us in New Zealand, he is just Kane, laid-back, modest, and a bloody-good bloke. Just Kane.” That pretty much sums it up.