NEW ZEALAND V ANTILLES, 2020
As a parent, as a parent, you only get the chance once in your life to be there for the birth of your (first) child and I know it’s important to Kane: Stead © Getty
Gary Stead has accepted that he could lose star hitter Kane Williamson from the games later this month due to the impending birth of the captain’s first child. The New Zealand coach said he would be perfectly fine with granting Williamson paternity leave, saying “other things are much more important.
Williamson posted a career-best 251 in New Zealand’s victory over the West Indies at Seddon Park, a blow that propelled him to second place in the Test Ranking alongside Virat Kohli. During the course of the trial, the 30-year-old told reporters that his partner was due to give birth in “mid to late December” and that at that time he would receive a call about the lack of games.
New Zealand has a packed cricket schedule this summer, with a second Test against the West Indies (December 11-15) followed by three T20Is and two Tests against Pakistan starting December 18. “At worst, Kane misses a few games. As a parent, as a parent, you only get that chance once in your life to be there for the birth of your (first) child and I know it’s important to Kane too. At the end of the day, we play cricket, and other things are much more important. And that is much more important, “Stead said on Monday (December 7).
Stead acknowledged that the Black Caps, who have won seven of their last eight home events, have developed a confidence in their ability at home and will be able to make up for the loss of their captain should the time come. “It’s certainly something that we don’t talk about externally,” Stead said. “But I think last year’s performances in the way we beat India gave the team a lot of confidence.”
Will Young, who made his Test debut at Hamilton, is understood to be a natural replacement for Williamson with regular goalkeeper BJ Watling close to regaining his spot in Test XI after a hamstring injury kept him. outside of the inaugural Summer Test.
Deconstructing the innings win at Hamilton, Stead said Kyle Jamieson’s advancement in the home series against India and his practical hitting skill has helped the team make up for the loss of off-roader Colin de Grandhomme, who has been ruled out of Testing. from the West Indies with bruises on the bones of the right foot. Jamieson, who has done 144 runs in his three tests with an average of 72, has fit perfectly into the rhythm quartet without disrupting his batting balance.
“They all have slightly different skills in what they offer. I think they complemented each other well and kept a lot of pressure on the West Indies. I think they are all playing well enough that it is difficult to know that you separate them in the moment,” he said Stead.
“Since Colin de Grandhomme is not available, it gave us the opportunity to see this in a different way. Although now it is not in the category of Colin de Grandhomme [with his batting]I guess it’s something that we hope he will continue to strive to be there in the future. ”
© Cricbuzz
