'Test cricket is special, there is a romance to it' - Kane Williamson on beauty of longest format of the game

Test cricket is the oldest and the most traditional form of the game. If a player becomes a successful Test cricketer, then conquering the white-ball format won’t be very difficult. For many cricketers, playing in a test match can be a grueling experience, but that is not the case with New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, who finds ‘romance’ in the red-ball game.

The former New Zealand skipper recently notched up his 27th century in the format, helping his side win the opening Test of the ongoing two-match series against Sri Lanka in a dramatic fashion. After success in the first Test, Williamson admitted that no other format can capture the "romance" of red-ball cricket.

Williamson argued that the five-day duration of a test match, which can lead to difficult circumstances and necessitates a specific plan of attack in order to succeed, is what makes the format so beautiful. And that is exactly what made New Zealand vs Sri Lanka contest thrilling as the hosts clinched a victory on the final delivery of the final day.

“Test cricket is special, there is a romance to it and there is a bond in working really hard for a long time and ending up in some of the situations that we’ve found ourselves in. You can’t replicate that in the other formats,” Williamson was quoted as saying by News18.

Williamson feels team should be given more importance over personal milestones

The 32-year-old has achieved several milestones throughout his career. He has hit the most number of Test centuries for New Zealand and is also the leading run-scorer for his side in the longest format of the game. Nevertheless, Williamson believes that personal achievements should not be kept above the team’s contribution in the game.

“Test centuries are definitely special but when you sit in the dressing room afterwards you don’t sit and think about yourself. You think about the five days and the contributions that were made throughout. That should all be acknowledged in the same way,” Williamson added.

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