Eng vs NZ: 3 ways to get Kane Williamson outÂ
Kane Williamson, with this penchant for big scores, will be a dangerman for England when they face New Zealand on June 2 in the first of the two-match Test series at Lord's.
The Kiwi star has enjoyed a good run with the bat against England, scoring 743 runs in 11 matches. The New Zealand skipper is currently the top-ranked batsman on the ICC Test rankings. He will look to maintain his form by notching up some big scores to help prepare for the all-important World Test Championship final against India later in the month.
That said, England will be relieved to know that Williamson has had some trouble against the quicks, namely James Anderson, who has sent him back to the pavilion six times.
Williamson has always been a good player of spin and the onus will be on the pacers to prise him out early on in the innings.
We take a look at some of the ploys England can use to get the better of Williamson.
#1 Pace to get Kane Williamson to nick one to the keeper
The Kiwi skipper has been caught behind in 26.7% of his dismissals against the pacers. Whether it's done with sheer pace, the odd bouncer or plain swing, Kane Williamson has shown some susceptibility to fast bowling and that's an advantage considering the pace attack England have at their disposal.
Speaking of percentages, Williamson has been bowled 19 times, accounting to 14.5% and caught 56 times (42.7%). His 18 LBW dismissals make up for 13.7%.
This means England have a better chance of getting him to mistime one.
#2 James Anderson vs Kane Williamson
Anderson's swing and pace has been Kane Williamson's Achilles heel for some time now. Of the 16 encounters they have had, the quick has got the better of the NZ skipper, dismissing him six times.
The idea would be to use Anderson as much as possible when Williamson walks out to bat and try to get him out before he gets into his groove.
#3 Deceptive pace vs Kane Williamson
This is where Stuart Broad comes in with his nagging length that plays on the batsmen's patience. In the end, it will be all about who wins the blinking contest considering Williamson's cool head at the crease.
Broad has won that duel four times and Joe Root will be counting on his premium fast bowler to dismiss his counterpart as quickly as possible.