5. Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
If England has a Joe Root, Australia has a Steve Smith, India has a Virat Kohli – New Zealand has a Kane Williamson. Kane Williamson led the New Zealand team in the U-19 World Cup held at Malaysia. Even though it was Virat Kohli led Indian team which won the world cup, the New Zealand team earned a lot of praise. The future of New Zealand cricket which included Boult, Southee, Williamson, Corey Anderson all played in the tournament. These players would go on to represent their team at senior levels. Kane Williamson from a very early age was rated very highly by the New Zealand legends. He didn’t disappoint them as he kick-started his career when he scored a masterful hundred against India on his debut. The grit and determination he showed in the game against India was much appreciated. 2011 didn’t go much well with Williamson, struggling to find his form. But he came back in 2012 with a bang. 2013 and 2014 belonged to Kane Williamson with some consistent performances in both the formats. He turned talisman for the New Zealand team, and during these two years New Zealand began to do well and have slowly started emerging as one of the superpowers in world cricket. Kane Williamson is just 24 years old and he will surely entertain the cricket fans for the next decade or so.
Mat | Runs | HS | Avg | 100/50 | |
Tests | 39 | 3034 | 242* | 45.96 | 9/15 |
ODIs | 74 | 2686 | 145* | 44.76 | 6/16 |
T20s | 21 | 440 | 51 | 27.50 | 0/1 |