Kane Williamson is still undecided about his New Zealand future after the three-match ODI series against England, which starts on Sunday (Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) Veteran New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson has said discussions about his availability for the rest of the domestic summer continue as he prepares to return to international cricket for the ODI series against England. Williamson, who is currently on an informal contract with New Zealand Cricket (NZC), missed the recent T20I series against Australia and the Zimbabwe tour to focus on county cricket and The Hundred. In a video shared by NZC on Friday, he emphasized the importance of balancing cricket with family commitments. “As your life situation changes like mine, I’m incredibly grateful with three young kids and the balance between where you spend your time and where you put your attention is really, really important to me. So to still be playing for New Zealand and playing the sport I love at the highest level is great, but the most important thing for me is the balance,” Williamson said. He also reaffirmed his passion for the game and his desire to contribute to the team. “I still love the game and I have a strong desire to improve and train hard and give the team whatever I can and that’s really important to me – as a young player or as a schoolboy it was always about just working hard on your game, always trying to improve and that hasn’t changed.” Williamson noted that he was taking a cautious approach to his cricketing future rather than looking too far ahead, citing the 2027 ODI World Cup as a reference point.“I’m not (looking) too far ahead, I think I think there’s probably the ODI World Cup and there’s always other things, Test cricket is quite expensive for me as well, so it’s a bit about what I want and a bit more about what the team wants and where they’re going and what we’re kind of buying into,” he said. He described the importance of maintaining open lines of communication with New Zealand Cricket and the coaching staff. “Just kind of keeping the lines of communication open to make sure we’re nice and focused and clear about what that looks like. But also kind of really respecting the fact that this is a team in a special place and they’re always trying to move toward something. So for me at this stage in my career, to be there and be able to add that is great.” Williamson also hailed the leadership of Mitchell Santner and Tom Latham in the white-ball and red-ball formats, describing both as experienced and organised.
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“So it’s no surprise for them to be in leadership roles… It’s been about a year now and he’s been doing a fantastic job and incredibly organized and passionate about the group and about Test cricket, so it’s great that he’s kind of at the helm now, running the team,” he said. The 35-year-old is looking forward to getting back into training and contributing to New Zealand’s ODI campaign while maintaining a balance between cricket and family life.
