Opinion: Best Test captain in 2021

So, yet another year is drawing to a close. The year 2021 witnessed riveting cricketing action, especially in the longest format of the game. This year saw the conclusion of the first-ever World Test Championship (WTC), and the New Zealand side emerged as the champions of the tournament, beating India with 8 wickets in the kitty.

So, as the sun sets in 2021, who was the greatest Test captain of the year? Well, Kane Williamson wins this hands down. The New Zealand side finally got their hands on a major ICC trophy under the stewardship of their leader, Williamson, and ended years of their ‘underachievers’ tag.

Under Williamson, New Zealand did not lose a single Test match in the entire year. Yes! You read that right. In the table below, let us take a look at New Zealand’s record under Williamson in Tests played in 2021.

Note: New Zealand played 2 more Test matches in the year. In both Tests, Tom Latham led the side

New Zealand did not lose a Test match under Williamson’s stewardship in 2021. And, what makes this achievement more special was the fact that the Black Caps toured England and India this year, and these are two extremely challenging places for visiting teams to play Test cricket in. New Zealand played only 1 Test match at home in the whole year, and they decimated Pakistan by an innings and 176 runs.

Next up, came the challenging England tour, where New Zealand played 2 matches. Williamson led New Zealand in the first game, which ended in a draw. He did not feature in the 2nd Test.

And then, came that CROWN JEWEL! The World Test Championship (WTC) title win. In the battleground of Southampton, the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand side clinched the title, and thrashed India by 8 wickets in the summit clash in June this year. Williamson led the side with elan, did not buckle under pressure and scored vital runs with the willow (we will cover this later in the article).

And, in Williamson’s final Test match as a captain in 2021, New Zealand held on to a pulsating draw against India in Kanpur in November 2021.

Kane Williamson – Leading from the front with the bat

Another aspect of Williamson that stood out was the way he contributed with the willow this year. In the table below, let us take a look at Williamson’s numbers in the whites in 2021.

Williamson scored 395 runs in 7 innings with the willow and scored his runs at a colossal average of 65.83. But, what makes them crucial are the ‘timing’ of those knocks. The master started the year with a stunning 238 against Pakistan, paving the way for his side to beat their opponents by an innings and 176 runs.

And then, came those 2 vital knocks on a challenging Southampton pitch in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India. Not a single batter from the Indian side scored a half-century in that game, but Williamson contributed 49 in the first innings and followed that up with a superb 52* in the second essay.

And, in the final of the WTC, in the biggest stage in the Test format of the game, Williamson stood up for the Kiwis.

In Conclusion

Kane Williamson stood out, both as a leader, as well as a batter in Test cricket in 2021. New Zealand experienced their moment of glory with Williamson at the helm of affairs, winning the WTC crown. He also contributed with the willow as well. And Williamson did all this with grace, with poise and with a sense of rarefied humility.