Lyon on Williamson’s mind as he brings up Test 100
Kane Williamson is the world’s No.1 batter but with an indifferent record against the ‘Big Three’ he may have more to prove in Christchurch than Steve Smith the opener.
Kane Williamson had already had a lengthy net session earlier in the morning. He then faced dozens of deliveries from assistant coach Luke Ronchi, throwing side-arm, in his second stint. Now, finally, it was time for him to plot a strategy to counter his nemesis, Nathan Lyon.
The off-spinning great had thrown down the gauntlet to New Zealand’s finest following the first Test. Lyon had hinted at having found a weak spot in Williamson’s batting that he claimed to have exploited while dismissing him in the second innings at the Basin Reserve. And while the former New Zealand captain didn’t take the bait while speaking to the press on Thursday, the Lyon threat was clearly on his mind on the eve of his 100th Test in Christchurch starting on Friday, if the last segment of his net session is any guide.
There was a brief chat with Ronchi about what he felt his best chance would be when Lyon tries to go around the wicket and cramps him like he did last week. In Wellington, Williamson had played the line of the ball and helped it around the corner into Steve Smith’s hands at leg-slip.
Here, he seemed to be telling himself and his coach that he’d try to attack it differently. That playing the pull shot to deliveries of that length and forcing the leg slip out was a better option. Williamson then proceeded to do just that, repeatedly, while receiving vocal encouragement from Ronchi and Glenn Phillips, who’d finished his stint and was standing around observing New Zealand’s premier batter going through his routines.
It was a trademark Williamson net, the kind I’ve been privileged to witness numerous times over the years. The 33-year-old didn’t need to practice the shot incessantly though. He did it a handful of times, let Ronchi know he was happy with it, then walked away.
It’s been quite the journey to Test No.100 for Williamson since he was earmarked for greatness after making a century on debut in faraway Ahmedabad 14 years ago. An average of 55.25 puts him in the category of the all-time greats.
But such is the unavoidable pedantry with statistics that you have to add a rider to Williamson’s terrific record by mentioning his relatively moderate returns against India, England and especially Australia.
In a way it’s apt that his milestone Test will be against his trans-Tasman rivals.
Williamson scored 437 runs at 67.42 in his first seven innings against Australia. That included two centuries, in consecutive Tests, at the Gabba and WACA Ground. Since his 166 in Perth in November 2015 though, he’s averaged 22.58 in 13 innings against the Australians, having made a solitary half-century at the Hagley Oval eight years ago.
In fact, he’s gone past 30 only thrice in that period. And setting that record straight on such a significant platform, with all eyes on him, will be even more apt. For that, he’ll have to first get past Lyon and the spinner’s sorcery, of course.
Smith played his 100th Test last year during the Ashes and has subsequently played eight more. While he might currently have hit a bit of a low point in terms of having the lowest Test ranking points in the past 10 years, he still sits at No.3 in terms of position, two behind Williamson at the top.
His overall numbers are slightly better than his counterpart, with a Test average of 57.52. But for a man who unlike Williamson started his career as a bowler “who could bat”, debuting at No.8, Smith averages over 65 against India and 56 against England. He also averages 52.53 against the Kiwis for good measure.
His numbers in his new position, though, are as middling as Williamson’s are against the more high-profile Test nations. Though only six innings into the life as a Test opener, Smith averages 37.75 at the top of the order. It includes his unbeaten 91 in the unsuccessful run chase at the Gabba against the West Indies, and the gritty 31 he scored last week in the first innings at the Basin Reserve.
Two vital hands in five meaningful innings are decent returns you’d think for most batters in a new chapter. But not Smith. That’s more to do with just where he sits in the pantheon of the greatest ever to hold a bat, rather than the cricket world being too critical.
Trademark Smith net sessions play out differently to the method of Williamson. And a couple of hours after Williamson had walked away, it was Smith’s turn to reveal his thinking with the bat. A Smith net session is one of my favourite indulgencies at a cricket ground. Watching him bat has constituted nearly 70 per cent of my time at work over the last half a dozen years. You can add Marnus Labuschagne to that tally, too.
Though both Smith and Williamson are perfectionists, the former Australia captain thrives more on volume. The retirement of Neil Wagner has meant that Smith hasn’t had to focus too much on tactically countering a specific threat at the crease. It’s been more a case of just facing truckloads of deliveries with the new ball, getting used to the vagaries of it on the New Zealand pitches – whether it is to do with getting used to the slightly late movement you often experience in these parts, or even the challenge of leaving deliveries off a length.
Williamson’s batting is built on simplicity. So is the rest of him as a person and a cricketer, for that matter. Smith’s batting is built on his quirkiness but also his incredible attention to detail. It’s never good enough for him to sweetly hit a cover drive or on-drive, unless it has also gone to the exact spot in or outside the net he’s aimed for.
And Smith will stay back to play that shot a few times and will not depart unless he’s perfected it beyond any reasonable doubt in his head.
Like he did, as always, on Thursday.
Williamson never admonishes himself while batting in the nets. At best, he makes quirky sounds if he’s mistimed a ball. Smith makes quirky faces and is also vocally upset with himself if he’s played a false shot. Like when he shouldered arms on one occasion and had his stumps knocked over.
He did step out only after he’d played a thunderous drive, followed by his customary nods of self-approval.
As always, both Smith and Williamson will be as ready and as prepared as ever for what lies ahead in the second Test starting on Friday. And the expectations from both will also in many ways be aligned to their respective personalities.
Williamson will want to prove himself against the world champions, world-class beyond a statistical doubt.
And the pressure Smith will put on himself is to prove to himself that he’s made the right choice by nominating himself for the job to open the innings.
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