Cricket: Kane Williamson on saliva, empty stadiums - and taking the knee

Kane Williamson is willing to take a knee for the Black Lives Matter movement when cricket resumes.

The New Zealand captain initially plans to return with the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise when the Indian Premier League relocates to the less-Covid-19 infected United Arab Emirates for a September 19 start, once any isolation and safety concerns are ironed out.

Williamson says he's prepared to emulate his England and West Indies test counterparts during their recent series to promote inclusivity in a global sport.

The BLM anti-racism campaign has surged since the death of American George Floyd in the custody of Minnesota police. That momentum has now transcended the sporting world and filtered into cricket.

"As a team, we're right behind that cause in promoting equality," Williamson told the Herald.

"Not just in race but in all parts of life where there are differences. Coming into the season, there will be a number of chats — and we've already had some — to encourage that movement. Playing at a professional level with our profile means we might be able to add more with our collective voice."

Williamson's last match came in an empty arena against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground before lockdown.

He will face more echoing grounds within the proposed UAE bubble as one of cricket's post-coronavirus peculiarities. The 29-year-old has been on international tours to the region in 2014 and 2018 and sampled the soon-to-be bio-secure venues at Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. They can be relatively vacant during tests anyway, at least when the unshaded sections get scorched by the Middle Eastern afternoon sun.

This situation could be different, though, at least by IPL standards.

"Club cricket's the closest link," Williamson said. "I suppose you become accustomed to playing in front of crowds to create atmosphere. It's odd to play an international without them, but also any IPL match when you're used to playing in India where the enthusiasm for the game is somewhat unrivalled."

Another change will come with how teams shine the ball in the post Covid-19 era.

Trousers might require reinforcement in the upper thigh and lower buttock region as bowlers are forced to generate swing without the aid of saliva as a polishing agent.

Umpires were forced to bring out the disinfectant when Dom Sibley lapsed into old habits during the England-West Indies series. The hosts and player received a warning, and would have been taxed five runs if there'd been a repeat.

Williamson says alternative strategies are needed to get the ball hooping.

"It's been such a normal part of the game for so long, so it's an accident if anyone does it. We've got to come to terms with shining it on our pants and getting heat into it."

The IPL was originally scheduled to begin on March 29. If the 13th edition had been cancelled, the Indian governing body would have stared at a potential $800 million loss in revenue.

The UAE was chosen as a jury-rigged alternative because its 61,000 coronavirus cases make for more manageable circumstances than the estimated 1.8 million in India.