Team-wise best Test batter of the year 2021

7. New Zealand – Kane Williamson

A man with the classic late cuts, perfect defensive strokes, aggressive pull shots, and the ability to put on a smile regardless of the matches result, Kane Williamson is New Zealand’s highest run-scorer in Tests this calendar year.  New Zealand as a team have had a pretty successful year in Test cricket, and their leader Williamson has to be credited for that.

Averaging 65.83 in 2021 with a century and a half-century to his tally, he has been his side’s backbone along with others like Conway, Nicholls and Latham. What set him apart from his teammates in the race to become the country’s best Test batter was his ability to stick to the crease for long exhausting hours. 395 runs in 7 innings facing 858 balls and a not out in his kitty, once he got set in the middle, it took a lot of thinking for the opposition to dismiss him. 

Leading the defending champions into 2022, Williamson will not only look at upping his performances in their packed schedule but also look to better NZ’s stand in the World Test Championship to fight for a place in the final of the second cycle.