ENGLAND are ready to face cricket’s ultimate Captain Cool.
He is Kane Williamson, skipper of New Zealand, one of the world’s best batsmen and a calm, reassuring influence on and off the field.
He proved his class by scoring a century in the rain-ruined match against Australia on Friday — a mark that came just 24 hours after Joe Root’s ton for England against Bangladesh.
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Williamson, 26, adds a mellow demeanour to his talent with the willow. Little or nothing fazes him.
That is the verdict of New Zealand swing bowler Trent Boult, who said: “Kane is arguably the calmest man alive.
“He is a very good leader and a massive part of our squad. He never gets flustered on the cricket field.
“The only time he gets flustered is when he’s trying to decide on a dinner date with his missus!
“That’s the most positive thing about him — he stays on that level as much as he can. He’s not too high when things are going well or too low when it is not falling our way.”
Williamson now has nine centuries in one-day internationals while Root has ten.
Along with Aussie Steve Smith, India’s Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers of South Africa, they rank among the world’s prime batsmen.
Boult added: “You hear the chat about Kane, Kohli, Smith and Root. They are all excellent.
“That’s why we play the game — to challenge ourselves against the best in the world. They all play massive roles for their teams.”
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New Zealand were on top in their match against Australia at Edgbaston when a downpour ended proceedings.
The no-result means England will secure their place in the semi-finals if they beat the Kiwis in Cardiff on Tuesday.
If they lose, they will need to beat the Aussies next Saturday.
New Zealand will try to target struggling opener Jason Roy, who has failed to pass 20 in his past seven ODI innings.
Boult said: “He seems to be in a bit of a low period. But we know what he’s capable of, he is a destructive batsman.”
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