Kane Williamson is now in same league as Richard Hadlee, Martin Crowe: Dion Nash

Dion Nash, former New Zealand pacer, has praised Kane Williamson and claimed that he is now on par with Martin Crowe and Richard Hadlee. Nash is generally pleased with Williamson's performance following his resignation as New Zealand's captain. Particularly, Hadlee and Crowe were considered New Zealand's elite players.

The former fast bowler claimed that Williamson had enhanced his performance after losing the captaincy. He added that the former Kiwis captain was now playing like cricket greats Hadlee and Crowe. Tim Southee, the Black Caps' current captain, should be grateful to have the 32-year-old in the team, he continued.

“Williamson has taken it to the next level. You look at Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe. Kane is now in that echelon of cricketers. He’s given up the captaincy – given it up or had it taken away, either way, it doesn’t matter – but he’s doubled down on his performance, which speaks volumes of the man,” Nash said.

“To not show any negative issues with having his captaincy taken away and go out and become even more of an impactful player says a lot. I’m sure (Black Caps captain) Tim Southee is grateful to have him in the side,” he added. 

Williamson  (121 not out off 194) scored a century in the second innings to help New Zealand win the first Test of the recently concluded Test series against Sri Lanka. In the first innings of the second Test match, he also scored a double hundred for the Black Caps. He hit 23 boundaries and two maximums in his 215 runs off 296 balls.

Williamson to play for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023

Williamson is currently getting ready for the 16th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which commences on Friday, March 31. After spending eight years with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the 32-year-old was acquired by the reigning champions (GT) for his base priceof INR 2 crore. GT will face the four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the opening game of the 2023 IPL at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.