Williamson can be NZ’s greatest ever batsman, says McCullum

The right-hander has 3,034 runs in 39 Tests and 2,509 runs in 66 ODIs.

DUNEDIN: New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum on Monday predicted highly-rated Kane Williamson will become the country’s greatest batsman.

The 24-year-old right-hander hit 57 in the co-hosts opening World Cup win over Sri Lanka in Christchurch on Saturday, the latest in a series of impressive knocks which also saw Williamson smash an unbeaten 242 in a Test match against the same opponents in January.

“Kane is a phenomenal talent,” said McCullum. “I believe he’ll go down as our greatest-ever batsman. I don’t want to put that added pressure on him, but what we’re seeing at the moment is a guy who is incredibly comfortable with his game and keeps trying to develop it.”

Since making his debut in 2010, Williamson has made more than 3,000 runs in 39 Tests at an average of over 45. In 66 ODIs, his record stands at 2,509 runs, with a best of 145 not out and an average over 46.

“He works very, very hard. He’s an incredible team man and I think we’ve seen that with some of his innings that he’s looking to up the ante for the team rather than chase individual milestones along the way,” said McCullum.

The skipper added it was ‘scary’ just thinking how good Williamson could be in the years to come. “I wouldn’t change him for anyone in the world at number three. I think he’s an outstanding player who’s going to make some sizable contributions in this World Cup.”

Williamson still has some way to seal his legacy in terms of hard statistics. Former captain Stephen Fleming remains New Zealand’s leading run-maker in both Tests and ODIs — with 7,172 and 8,007 runs respectively.

But McCullum, who is the Black Caps’ second-highest Test run-maker, is such a fan he believes Williamson is just as good as Indian superstar number three Virat Kohli. “Kohli is an amazing player. His record is phenomenal already, and he’s still such a young guy, and the runs that he scores,” said McCullum of Kohli. “I guess I’m more familiar with Williamson’s game and his impact on our team, which is one of the reasons why I say that I wouldn’t change him.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 17^th,  2015.

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