One on one with Black Cap Kane Williamson

New Zealand cricketer Kane Williamson. Photo/Andrew Warner

EXCLUSIVE

A rare opportunity to chill out in the Mount Maunganui sunshine and catch up with family and friends is just what Black Cap Kane Williamson needed.

It has been a frantic year for the world-class batsman. From the pressure of the Cricket World Cup, to the IPL in India, a full tour of England, and then captaining his country in Zimbabwe and South Africa, there has been little time away from the game to refocus his energy.

New Zealand cricket captain Kane Williamson plays a shot during the second and last International T20 cricket match at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on December 5, 2014. Photo/file

The 25-year-old from Tauranga is particularly upbeat about the African jaunt. He filled in for the resting Brendon McCullum and further established himself as the obvious contender to take over when McCullum pulls stumps on playing. "A lot of positive things came out of that tour. With a number of players missing and new guys stepping up to the side and actually performing very well, that was a really pleasing sign in terms of depth of New Zealand," Williamson said.

"I enjoyed captaining. I have done the odd game, which is just setting fields rather than being directly involved in what the culture might be. I did the series in the UAE (against Pakistan) with five one-dayers that I really enjoyed.

"It was nice to get the opportunity and is certainly a privilege. To get the two series is more what captaincy is all about. I was very pleased with how the team gelled together and put out consistent performances."

Next up for Williamson and the Black Caps is a rare home and away series against Australia. New Zealand fans are hoping it will prove how far the team has come in the past few years.

"It is just around the corner so you do start looking at and something the guys are looking forward to," Williamson said. "We always know playing Australia is always a big challenge, and they are even stronger in their own conditions, so we know it is going to be tough.

"We back ourselves against anyone. We have been playing good cricket for quite some time now but we know we have to be at our best and adapt well in Australia."

Pride in where he is from, and respect for people and institutions that helped guide him through his younger years, mean so much to Williamson.

He is often mentioned with Team NZ helmsman Peter Burling as two of the finest sportsmen to attend Tauranga Boys' College. They shared a friendly, competitive edge at the school, with Williamson head boy in his final year. "We were in a lot of the same classes. He got sportsman (award) every year because he was on the world stage going to the Olympics. We were all competing, thinking we might get close one year, and he kept blowing us out of the water," Williamson said.