Williamson wants to continue playing all three formats – T20 IPL 2024

The question of Kane Williamson‘s future as a T20 player – particularly as an international T20 player – has assumed greater significance since New Zealand’s exit at the semi-final stage of the T20 World Cup. His role as a top-order anchor has come under question, as has the issue of whether he can continue to captain New Zealand in all three formats at a time when he’s 32, and when the packed cricket calendar is prompting others – most notably his team-mate Trent Boult – to become selective about when and what formats they play.

Williamson, however, wants to continue playing all three formats, while acknowledging that the amount of cricket in the calendar is a challenge he’ll need to manage as he goes along.

“Yeah, I love all the formats, for different reasons, and in fact playing the three and changing between them is a challenge that is enjoyable,” he said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo’s Raunak Kapoor. “But having said that, there is a balance to strike in terms of just general volume [of cricket], and that’s important.

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“Everybody is a little bit challenged by that, certainly some of the players that may have done it for a long time, and you’re always looking to be clear with that direction – to stay fresh and focused on what is most important with your involvement in any team. Yeah, always looking to monitor that space as well as you can.”

Boult has opted out of a NZC central contract, leaving his international future looking uncertain, particularly after he found no place in the first squads named by New Zealand post the T20 World Cup. Boult’s long-time new-ball partner Tim Southee is 33, and may not have too many years left in international cricket either. These two and Williamson are part of what is widely considered New Zealand’s golden generation: they’ve reached five global finals across the three formats since 2015, and are the current holders of the World Test Championship mace.

Williamson said he doesn’t actively think about the transition that New Zealand may soon have to go through, and felt it was important for players to stay in the moment and contribute in the best way possible while still active.

“You sort of hope that whilst you’re here, and trying to do as well as you can as a team, and with all the other individuals involved, that there’s a real effort to try and grow the game, to try and play your role to the best of your ability, to try and improve as much as you can as a player, and hopefully that sort of adds to the depth of cricket that we have,” Williamson said.

“But just focusing on what’s in front of you is what’s really important, and in years to come there’ll be transition, or there’s perhaps transition a little bit even earlier – that’s always there, that’s always happening in professional sport, and whoever the next group or crop are, they’ll I’m sure have a lot of motivation to want to get better as a team and go even further as a side as well.”

Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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