 |
Sports correspondent & historian with |
Kane Williamson continued his amazing cricket journey with a unique century in both innings against South Africa at the Bay Oval last week.
The Western Bay resident, who thrills cricket fans throughout the globe, crafted scores of 118 and 109 in the New Zealand Black Caps massive 281 run win over the Proteas.
Both innings were a delight to watch, as Williamson worked his way to another big milestone in his illustrious career.
There is nothing fancy about the way that the Black Cap leader builds a big innings with an arsenal of orthodox cricket shots.
As a local cricket scribe, historian and statistician, I have had a unique view from the sideline, of the early rise of Kane Williamson in becoming a world cricket superstar.
Williamson first grabbed local media headlines in 2003 when captaining the Bay of Plenty Coastland Under 14 representative team.
A media report stated “The outstanding player of the ND Under 14 tournament was Bay of Plenty Coastlands Kane Williamson. The talented youngster finished the tournament with 420 runs from four turns at bat and was dismissed just once”.
The following season, Kane made the headlines at the ND Under 15 competition, with a wheelbarrow load of runs and a top score of 138.
December 2005 saw Williamson chosen as the Bay of Plenty Cricket player of the month. The citation said “One of the most promising young cricket players in the country made the talent scouts sit up and take notice during December”.
“Fifteen year old Kane Williamson won the December (2005) award for his performances for his school, ND Under 17 team and the Bay of Plenty senior representative side”.
“He led Tauranga Boys’ College to the NZC Gillette Cup title and compiled two centuries at the ND Under 17 tournament”.
“Kane became the (then) youngest Bay of Plenty senior representative player, when selected for the ND One-Day tournament, being far from overawed with 129 runs coming from 67no and 62no”.
His fondness for the Bay Oval started in the 2006/07 season in a game for Bay of Plenty Under 19 against Waikato Valley.
The BOPCA website reported, “The New Zealand Under 19 representative made his first visit to the new Bay of Plenty Cricket Oval a memorable occasion as he smashed the ball all around the new cricket outfield. A majestic unbeaten knock of 131 was the first men’s representative century at the new flagship of Bay of Plenty Cricket”.
Black Cap selection arrived in 2010, against Sri Lanka, which became the launching pad of his glittering international cricket career.
A few of his mind-blowing statistics, to date, include 451 Black Cap appearances and over seventeen thousand runs, spread over the three forms of the game.
Williamson has hit 31 test and 13 ODI centuries with a best of 251, with plenty more to come before retirement finally arrives.
