Kane Williamson only twigged on Tuesday that this week’s Test against England will be his Lord’s swansong. The realisation arrived mid-press conference, just as someone stole a few precious minutes of his break.
“Yeah it probably is, eh? And you’re delaying my lunch, which isn’t very good of you…” he laughed, half-serious, half-hungry.
The 35-year-old has been coming to St John’s Wood for more than a decade. First trip? A Gloucestershire one-dayer in 2012. Thursday will be cap No.110 for New Zealand, yet only his fifth Test on the ground. That ratio, he admits, has always felt a bit stingy.
“It’s always a special Test,” he said. “I think if you look over your career, you only get… well depends on how long you play for… but yeah, I’ve played for a while and you only get a handful of opportunities to come to Lords and play.”
The numbers back him up. New Zealand’s visits to England are sporadic and, with no Future Tours Programme beyond 2027, nobody is certain when they will next roll back into NW8. Williamson, now operating without a central contract, knows this is probably it.
“I think the way they maintain the tradition, is quite special. It’s unique to Lords; the history that surrounds it, the effort that goes into, to all of that, you come here and you, you notice those differences to all other grounds.”
Those differences start in the Long Room, continue through lunch – yes, the roast beef still gets rave reviews – and finish on an honours board every visiting batter wants to sign. Williamson’s 132 in 2015 earned him that privilege, a feat that eluded Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.
“Walking out to the pitch through the long room, bumping into a few members, and obviously the lunches are iconic. There’s a number of things that are memorable here,” he added. “But it is a special place to play and I think everybody feels that their first time and also values every opportunity that they have.”
Statistically, though, Lord’s has been awkward terrain: 256 runs in eight innings, average 32. His career figure sits north of 54, so the venue has kept him honest. England, for their part, will not mind seeing the back of him. Ben Stokes’ side won the corresponding fixture in 2022; Tim Southee, then leading the Kiwi attack, is back this week but on England’s payroll as a temporary bowling consultant.
Six members of the current touring squad were involved two years ago. For the rest, this is a maiden voyage. “To have the experience that you have here. I know for a number of players in the dressing room, it’s their first time and they’re pretty excited at that prospect,” Williamson observed.
Off the field, his relationship with the ground has deepened. A short-term MCC arrangement last summer allowed him to appear for both Middlesex and London Spirit, a deal fashioned after he stepped away from his NZC contract. It cost him a couple of Tests against Zimbabwe but kept his ageing body fresh and his craft on view for county crowds.
So what now? A farewell hundred would be neat; a gritty 40 that drags the game deep might suit him even better. Either way, the feeling in the visiting camp is that a player who has spent 15 years making batting look serene deserves a final Lord’s memory to file alongside the first.
Lunch, mind, still takes priority.
