Kane Williamson is a New Zealand cricketer who represents his country in international cricket. On the domestic level, Kane plays first-class cricket for Northern Districts. Apart from captaining New Zealand in all three formats, he is also the captain of SunRisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Kane is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler. Kane Williamson captains the national cricket side across all formats. He was the captain when New Zealand reached and lost the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup finals. He was awarded the Player of the tournament award.
Williamson made his first class debut in 2007 at the age of 17 for the Northern Districts. He still remains a part of them.
Williamson was signed by Gloucestershire during the 2011 English county season. He was then signed by Yorkshire in 2013 for the half of the season. After impressing at the 2013 season and Williamson was subsequently signed to return for the 2014 season. Yorkshire won the County Championship that year. But for 2015, Australia's Aaron Finch's deal was extended by Yorkshire in place of Kane Williamson. He was then signed for part of the 2016 season.
Batting for the English side Yorkshire, Williamson scored his 10,000th run in first-class cricket, in the 2018 County Championship.
Kane Williamson was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad on 6 February 2015, for a whopping US$ 96,500. Williamson was a part of Sunrisers' victorious campaign in the 2016 season. In 2017, he was retained by the side. In the 2018 IPL Auction, Williamson was retained by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for a mammoth amount of US$ 460,500. He was named the captain of the side in the same year. Under Williamson's captaincy, the Hyderabad based franchise finished runners-up coming second to Chennai Super Kings. On the night of the finals, Sunrisers were defeated by 8 wickets. Williamson won the coveted Orange Cap for scoring the most runs (735) in the 2018 IPL season.
Williamson continued to lead SRH in the 2019 even as David Warner returned to the set-up. The Kiwi skipper endured a lean season with the bat as he managed just 156 runs @ 22.28/120 with 1 50+ score.
He eventually gave way to Warner in the following season, but it proved to be a blessing in disguise for Kane as the lack of burden of leadership duties helped him churn out 317 runs in 11 innings @ 45.28/133.75 with 3 50+ scores.
However, destiny had other plans. A horrendous start to their 2021 campaign coupled with Warner's wretched form and a broken relationship with the top brass, meant Kane was back to leading the franchise midway through the season.
Williamson was one of the three players who were retained (for INR 14 Crore) by SRH ahead of the 2022 auction. However, he endured a wretched campaign both as a batter and as a captain.
In 13 innings, he managed a mere 216 runs at an average of 19.64 and a strike rate of 93.51. SRH didn't fare well either as they failed to make it to the top-4 for the 2nd time in as many seasons.
On 10 August 2010, Williamson made his One-Day International debut against India. However he failed to score a single run after being dismissed on his 9th ball. It was definitely not a start to a career which Williamson had hoped for. On his second match, he was again bowled for a duck by Angelo Mathews.
Williamson scored his maiden ODI century against Bangladesh in Dhaka. At just the age of 20, Williamson became the youngest centurion in New Zealand's cricket history. Post his performance in Bangladesh tour where although New Zealand suffered a 4–0 whitewash, Williamson was selected for New Zealand's Test squad for the tour of India.
Despite managing just 196 runs across 9 innings in 2010, Williamson was drafted in New Zealand's squad for the 2011 World Cup, where he played 4 games and scored 99 runs @ 49.50 apiece. He had a decent 2011- 270 runs in 8 innings- but this was followed by another lean phase in 2012- 356 runs in 13 innings at 27.38.
With Brendon McCullum embarking on an all-out aggressive approach when he took over from Ross Taylor in 2012, New Zealand needed a glue to balance the risks that come with a 'no holds barred' approach.
Kane proved to be that man for Baz, as he, along with Taylor went on to be bedrock of the BlackCaps batting-unit in the middle-order over the course of next decade.Williamson nailed the consistency aspect that was earlier missing in his ODI batting with truckloads of runs in the three seasons between 2013-15, with 2015 being the most productive.
He top-scored for New Zealand’s in Champions Trophy 2013- 101 runs in 3 innings (a feat he went on to repeat in 2017) and in January 2014, Kane smashed 5 consecutive half-centuries against the visiting Indian team to help the BlackCaps seal a 4-0 series win. Overall, he smashed 770 runs in 12 innings he batted that year, with 8 50+ scores, including 1 hundred.
Williamson's exploits in 2015 established him as one of the leading ODI batters of the world, even though he didn't have a great World Cup campaign by his standards.A sensational finishing act against Australia in that thrilling group-stage encounter at Eden Park apart, Kane managed just 234 runs in 9 innings @ 33.42.
However, he regained his touch after the quadrennial event and embarked on a red-hot streak that saw him pile up 6 such totals against England and Zimbabwe in June-August 2015. Overall, he plundered 1376 runs in 26 innings @ 57.33 with 9 50s and 3 100s.
Williamson was appointed captain of the New Zealand team post the retirement of McCullum in 2016, and under the weight of responsibility, he thrived. The year 2019 always remained a watershed year for Kane- the ODI batter and captain. As a batter, he peaked like he had never peaked before, spearheading an under-performing batting unit all the way to the final of the World Cup.
As a captain, and in fact, just as a player really, the year 2019 will always be bitter sweet for Kane and every New Zealander as the BlackCaps well short of claiming the title without actually losing the final.
He piled up 578 runs in 9 innings @ 82.57/74.96 and was adjudged the 'Player of the Tournament but his defining image from that WC will be of a broken man, trying hard to not show his emotions by painting his face with a smile. During the campaign, Kane also became the fastest New Zealander and third overall to smash 6000 ODI runs (139 innings).
Williamson elevated his status in folklore with the way he handled the disappointment of finishing on the wrong side of the boundary countback rule. Since the 2019 WC, Willianson has played just 6 ODIs thanks to the combination of global pandemics, jammed schedule and his troublesome elbow.
On 4 November 2010, Williamson made his Test cricket debut against India at Ahmedabad. He scored 131 runs off 299 balls in the first innings and became the eighth New Zealand player to score a century on Test debut.
Williamson scored a brilliant 161 against West Indies in June 2014, which was his second test century of the series. Williamson played a crucial role in a rare away test series victory for New Zealand. In that series, Williamson was the leading overall run scorer with 413 runs, including a denied double century by rain. Williamson was reported for a suspect bowling action in April 2014 but was cleared in December 2014.
In August 2016, Williamson scored a century against Zimbabwe in the ongoing Test series to become the thirteenth batsman to score a century against all the other Test-playing nations. After achieving this feat in the fewest innings, and quickest time from his Test debut, Williamson became the youngest player to achieve this record.
On 23 March 2018, Williamson became the player with the most centuries for New Zealand in Tests with a total of 18 centuries. For his exemplary performances, Williamson was one of twenty players to be awarded a new contract for the 2018–19 season by New Zealand Cricket in May 2018. On 7 December 2018, Williamson became the first New Zealand cricketer to cross 900 rating points in the ICC Test batting rankings.
Williamson embarked on a red-hot streak over the course of the next 4 seasons, which culminated with his match-winning knock against India in the 2021 World Test Championship final.
The right-handed batter was prolific at home and in the UAE during 2018-21. While he scored 1434 runs in 13 home Tests @ 89.62, his 386 runs in 3 matches against Pakistan in the Emirates helped his side claim a rare overseas series win.
In January 2021, Williamson smashed his 4th double-hundred (238 vs Pakistan), and in the process, he became the fastest to score 7000 Test runs (in 143 innings) from his country. In 2019, Kane had become the fastest New Zealander to rack up 6000 runs (126 innings) during a Test against Bangladesh in Hamilton.
Kane struggled during the 2019 tour of Australia, where New Zealand were whitewashed 3-0. This was the only blemish for him- both as captain and as batter- during the inaugural WTC cycle, where the BlackCaps finished as the second-best team in the points table.
Under Williamson, New Zealand claimed the numero-uno spot in the ICC Test rankings for the very first time (in 2021), but it was at the Ageas Bowl in June 2021, where he and his team truly claimed the zenith as they beat India in the summit clash to claim the coveted Test mace.
Williamson scored 49 and 52* on what was an extremely tough pitch, and eventually proved to be the difference between the two sides.
Post the high of WTC triumph, Williamson and New Zealand have endured a tough time in the 2021-23 cycle. Kane missed out on the entire 2021/22 home summer due to tennis elbow issues, and in his absence, New Zealand failed to win series against Bangladesh and South Africa. Prior to this, the reigning champions had lost 0-1 in India.
Kane returned for the three-match series in England in June 2022, but both him (96 runs in 4 innings) and the BlackCaps struggled big time against a rampant English side, which proceeded to gun down 250+ targets in three successive 4th innings.
Williamson's average in England fell to 25.50, again underlining his struggles in obscure conditions against quality attacks. His average in South Africa and India is 21.16 (127 runs in 4 innings) & 33.53 (503 runs in 8 innings) respectively, while the corresponding figures for Sri Lanka is 26.71 (187 runs in 4 innings).
He does average 42.84 (557 runs in 7 innings) in Australia and 51.33 in the West Indies (462 runs in 5 innings) and has also played a defining role in New Zealand's series win against Pakistan in the UAE in 2018.
The upcoming tour of Pakistan will be an opportunity for Kane to work on his Test numbers in Asia, and continue his excellent form against Pakistan, a side against whom he averages 59.14 in 12 games.
Williamson made his T20 International debut against Zimbabwe on 16 October, 2011. He captained New Zealand in the ICC T20 World Cup in 2016 where the BlackCaps lost to England in the semi-final.
5 years later, Williamson & co had their revenge in the T20 World Cup 2021 as they dumped tournament favourites England out of the competition.
Williamson led from the front in the finals against Australia, converting a sedate start into a rolicking finish, eventually finishing at a 48-ball 85 with the help of 10 fours and 3 sixes.
But, it proved to be inadequate as the Aussies gunned down the total of 173 with ease to deny New Zealand of their maiden World Cup title.
12 months later, Kane is in Australia to lead the BlackCaps in another T20 World Cup, and he'd hope to stage his revenge against the defending champions when the finalists of the 2021 edition go head-to-head at the SCG on October 22.
A young Kane Williamson was named as captain ahead of the ODI and Twenty20 series against Pakistan in 2014, as Brendon McCullum was rested for the tour. Following Brendon McCullum's retirement, Williamson assumed the position of captain of New Zealand across all forms of cricket in March 2016. His captaincy began with the World T20I cup in India. Williamson also captained New Zealand during their runner-up finish at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Under Kane, New Zealand's Test team transformed from being a 'dark horse' to a terrifying outfit in familiar conditions.
While New Zealand were drubbed 0-3 in Australia in 2019/29, the BlackCaps defeated everyone at home, and by doing that, they not only leapfrogged India to become the No.1 ranked team, but also WTC champions after they beat Virat Kohli's team in a rain-affected six-day final in Southampton in 2021.
Under his leadership, New Zealand also qualified in the final of the 2021 T20 World Cup, where they failed to trump Australia.
Overall, Williamson had led New Zealand in 40 Tests, 81 ODIs, and 63 T20Is, out of which his side has emerged victorious on 22, 41 & 32 instances respectively.
Williamson has four siblings in total. He and his twin brother Logan are the youngest. As children, both Kane and Logan showed extreme promise in several sports including rugby, field hockey, basketball, volleyball, soccer and cricket. Kane is in a relationship with Sarah Raheem and in December 2020, the couple announced the birth of their first kid- a baby girl.
