Lyon Eyes Williamson’s Weakness in Landmark Test

As Kane Williamson steps onto the field at Hagley Oval this Friday, he will add another remarkable achievement to his illustrious cricketing career.

Joining the ranks of Tim Southee, his long-time teammate, the ex-New Zealand captain will become the sixth player, after Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Stephen Fleming, and Brendon McCullum, to have played 100 Tests for the team.

Williamson’s journey to this significant milestone has been marked by numerous record-breaking performances.

He holds the record for the most Test runs by a New Zealand player, outpacing the second-best, Taylor, by nearly 1000 runs. He also firmly holds the No.1 ranking for Test batters.

With a minimum of 10 Tests, his average is the highest in New Zealand’s Test history.

Furthermore, Williamson led his team to victory in the World Test Championship Final 2021. However, a Test series win against their neighbouring rivals, Australia, remains elusive for him.

Following a loss in the first Test of the ongoing trans-Tasman Trophy in Wellington, the best outcome New Zealand can hope for is a draw in the two-game series.

Despite boasting a career average of 55.25, Williamson’s performance tends to falter against Australia, averaging only 37.26 in 10 games.

In his latest match, he was dismissed for a duck after a poorly judged run left him short of the crease in the first innings. In the second innings, Australia’s off-spinner Lyon, bowling around the wicket, had him caught at leg slip by Steve Smith for nine.

Captain Pat Cummins and the Australian team have lauded star spinner Nathan Lyon following the ICC World Test Championship Final.

Lyon later revealed that Williamson’s dismissal, which occurred three deliveries after he switched to bowling around the wicket, was a premeditated strategy.

“That was a plan, and it’s gratifying when plans succeed immediately. I’ve noticed a weakness in Kane’s batting against my bowling, so I tried to exploit that,” Lyon shared.

However, the seasoned spinner chose to keep his future “plan” for Williamson under wraps.

“There’s one Test to come, mate,” Lyon teased.

Lyon, Australia’s third-most successful Test bowler in terms of wickets, claimed his fifth 10-wicket haul in the first Test of the series, leading to a commanding 172-run victory.

Williamson, on the other hand, commended Lyon’s performance on a pitch that favoured the spinners. Ahead of his landmark 100th Test, Williamson stated, “(Lyon is) an exceptional bowler and the surface in Wellington was a competitive one. It brought the spinners into play more than we anticipated.

“Given his quality, he certainly capitalized on that and posed quite a challenge. As a player, you’re always striving to improve, adapt quickly, and get better.”

The second Test commences this Friday (8 March).