Former New Zealand cricketer and commentator Simon Doull believes that current captain Kane Williamson should be relieved from the responsibility of the Test team, as he has been spending most of the time being sidelined, especially due to his long-standing elbow injury.
The ongoing three-match Test series between New Zealand and England is Williamson’s comeback assignment as captain in the longest format of the game, but yet again, he was forced to be out of action for the ongoing second Test at Trent Bridge.
After leading New Zealand to a thrilling drawn Test against India at Kanpur, Williamson was out of action, recovering from a long-standing elbow injury, and made a comeback in the IPL 2022, and at Lord’s in whites, but after being infected with COVID-19, he was ruled out of the second Test.
Williamson has been often missing Test cricket for the past few years, and Tom Latham has been fulfilling the captain’s duty, and Doull feels the time has now come to make him the permanent captain of the Test team.
Doull said commentating on day one of the second Test for Sky Sports: “I almost think that if Kane Williamson is fit to play and captain the side in the third Test, it might be for the last time in Test cricket.”
He added, “I just think it’s time for Tom Latham to take over this Test match side. Kane has done it for long enough, I just want him to be the best batsman New Zealand have ever had — and he will be.”
Meanwhile, Doull’s suggestion didn’t go down well with the former New Zealand batter Grant Elliott, who said that the decision about the Test captaincy should be totally dependent on Williamson, not external people.
Elliot said on SENZ’s Saturday Sessions: “I like the fact that Kane is not captaining if he’s playing because I always felt that the succession was broken when John Wright chose Ross Taylor as captain. It should’ve been Brendon (McCullum) and then Ross should’ve taken over from Brendon, and then Kane should’ve only been taking the reins over the last couple of years.”
He signed off by saying, “Unfortunately, he was given it at a young age and there’s so many responsibilities as captain. Some people enjoy it, some people don’t. I think it’s up to Kane whether he enjoys it or not, but I think it would take a lot of pressure off his batting and we could just enjoy watching probably our best-ever batter (succeed at the crease).”
(With IANS Inputs)
