Former New Zealand cricketer Stephen Fleming spoke about Kane Williamson’s future as a three-format player in the national cricket team. Stephen Fleming acknowledged Kane Williamson’s batting skills but questioned his continuation in all three formats of the game after a disappointing T20 World Cup 2024.
New Zealand was eliminated from the group stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup. The Black Caps suffered defeats to Afghanistan and the West Indies in their first two matches. They bounced back with wins against Uganda and Papua New Guinea, but failed to finish in the top two places in Group C of the World Cup.
The 33-year-old has been a crucial figure in New Zealand’s top white-ball team for more than a decade. New Zealand have reached the semi-finals seven times in World Cups since 2011 in T20 and ODI formats. He was named Player of the Tournament in the 2019 ODI World Cup, where the Kiwis lost to England in the final.
Kane Williamson led New Zealand to the ICC trophy in the Test format in 2021, defeating Team India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final in Southampton. New Zealand also reached the final of the 2021 T20 World Cup but lost to Australia in the summit clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
It hasn’t really been questioned – Stephen Fleming
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show, Stephen Fleming said Kane Williamson has to decide between continuing in all three formats, focusing on franchise cricket or prioritizing family time. Fleming noted that Williamson is at a stage where factors beyond cricket will influence his decisions.
“He hasn’t really been questioned here, because of his genius with the bat, but he has to make a decision now after a disappointing World Cup. What does the future hold for him? Is it the three formats, is it franchise cricket, Is it family time? He’ll get to that point where he’ll start making decisions that will have other influences, whereas before it was just cricket,” Fleming said on ESPNcricinfo.
You will be allowed the luxury of time – Stephen Fleming
The former New Zealand captain said Kane Williamson will have the luxury of time to decide his next steps. Fleming described Williamson as a “generational player”, stating that he could move on or will steel himself to right the wrongs next time.
“He will be allowed the luxury of time because he is a generational player and will be suffering a lot. New Zealand’s older players would have seen this as perhaps their last good chance, so it might be time to move on.” “Or he’ll work up the courage to right the wrongs next time, but he’s not a big giveaway guy, so it would be interesting to see what he does,” he added.
Will Kane Williamson continue to be a three-format player? 🤔
#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/zAuGz59fIW
-ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 18, 2024
Kane Williamson resigned from the Test captaincy in 2022 with Tim Southee taking over the role thereafter. The right-handed batsman is currently leading New Zealand in white-ball cricket. New Zealand are scheduled to rematch the test series in India later this year and a home series against England in December.
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