NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Cricket / Cricket World Cup

2019 Cricket World Cup: Kane Williamson is New Zealand's greatest ODI player, says Daniel Vettori

NZ Herald
21 Jun, 2019 04:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Martin Crowe and Kane Williamson. Photos / Photosport

Martin Crowe and Kane Williamson. Photos / Photosport

Former Black Caps captain Daniel Vettori has lauded Kane Williamson as New Zealand's greatest one-day player after his match-winning century against South Africa.

And, Vettori believes there is one key attribute that puts him apart from many of the world's best batsmen.

"What differentiates him from a lot of batsmen in this day and age is his sole focus is winning the game and he tailors his batting towards that," Vettori wrote in a column for the ICC.

"Kane has done so much in such a short period, whether a captain or not, he's been exceptional and he's an absolute joy to watch. He plays all the shots, he knows how to manipulate the strike and he's always going to run hard."

Williamson's unbeaten 106 – his first World Cup century – saw the Black Caps home against South Africa with three balls to spare, and Vettori believes the way he paced his innings is just one of the reasons why he'll go down as one of the game's all-time greats.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The wicket was tricky, the South African bowling was very good and they took the pace off the ball well, it was a tough time to bat.

"But the way he understood that situation and got his team across the line was exceptional, it's what makes him one of the greatest in the world now and by the end of his career he'll be up there with some of the greats of all time."

Kane Williamson and Daniel Vettori in 2012. Photo / Photosport
Kane Williamson and Daniel Vettori in 2012. Photo / Photosport

And, according to Vettori, who some might say also has a claim to this honour with his 305 ODI wickets, Williamson is New Zealand's best ever ODI player - ahead of the likes of Martin Crowe, Brendon McCullum, Chris Cairns, Stephen Fleming, Richard Hadlee, and Ross Taylor.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"He's already there now and by the end of his career his record will far exceed anything we've had in the past or present, he really is that good."

Vettori also had praise for Colin de Grandhomme, who took 1-33 in 10 superbly restrictive overs, before hitting a hugely valuable 60 off 47 balls to support Williamson in the chase of 242 for victory.

"To come out there in a pressure situation and play your natural game takes a lot of guts, it is Colin's game and the way he plays and he does that no matter what.

"Colin only plays one way. He sees ball, hits ball, and that simplicity makes him a good player. He'd have got confidence from the way he bowled and at times he's been criticised for the way he bats but you take the rough when you get the smooth of these games."

Discover more

Cricket World Cup

Captain Kane slays SA, Black Caps win Cup thriller

19 Jun 06:55 PM
Sport|cricket

Grant Elliott: Hands off Kane! Why Williamson was right not to walk

20 Jun 05:00 AM
Sport|cricket

'It would take a miracle': World Cup semi-finalists 'secured'

20 Jun 08:30 PM
Cricket World Cup

Oral history: The inside story of Black Caps' thrilling World Cup chase

20 Jun 09:00 PM
Martin Crowe scored 4704 runs in 143 ODIs for New Zealand. Photo / Getty
Martin Crowe scored 4704 runs in 143 ODIs for New Zealand. Photo / Getty

Now four from four at the World Cup, with one washout, Vettori believes confidence will be high in the New Zealand camp before their game against the West Indies on Sunday.

"They've put in another good performance and should be more and more confident with each game that comes."

The Alternative Commentary Collective are podcasting their way through the World Cup. Known for their unconventional sports analysis and off-kilter banter, the ACC have come to ask the tough questions. Here's the latest episode of 'The Agenda':

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Cricket World Cup

White Ferns

White Ferns hold nerve to beat West Indies, advance to World Cup final

18 Oct 05:27 PM
White Ferns

Devine and Bates set for ninth consecutive T20 World Cup

10 Sep 02:06 AM
Cricket World Cup

India win T20 World Cup to end silverware drought, Proteas choke again

29 Jun 06:20 PM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Cricket World Cup

White Ferns hold nerve to beat West Indies, advance to World Cup final

White Ferns hold nerve to beat West Indies, advance to World Cup final

18 Oct 05:27 PM

The White Ferns have remarkably reached the final.

Devine and Bates set for ninth consecutive T20 World Cup

Devine and Bates set for ninth consecutive T20 World Cup

10 Sep 02:06 AM
India win T20 World Cup to end silverware drought, Proteas choke again

India win T20 World Cup to end silverware drought, Proteas choke again

29 Jun 06:20 PM
India skittle defending champions to book final berth

India skittle defending champions to book final berth

27 Jun 08:24 PM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP