Australia vs New Zealand 2019-20: Steve Smith heaps praise on Kane Williamson, says he hopes Australia can keep him quiet

What's the story?

Ahead of Australia's Test series against New Zealand, Steve Smith has spoken in glowing terms about the batting technique of Kane Williamson. Smith lauded the Kiwi skipper's patience and also mentioned that Williamson's bat grip resembles his own.

The background

Smith and Williamson have been two of the most successful batsmen in the longest form of the game. While Smith has been incredible ever since making his return to cricket after a one-year ban (due to sandpaper-gate), Williamson has been the epitome of consistency over the last few years.

Steve Smith

Both the batsmen are widely considered to be members of the 'Fab Four' club - which also includes Virat Kohli and Joe Root.

Also see - IND vs WI schedule 2019

The heart of the matter

'Time and patience': Steve Smith sums up fellow batting genius Kane Williamson: https://t.co/T4Ba4AfLOT #AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/ei3lxNwLVS

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 9, 2019

Ahead of the Test series between the Trans-Tasman rivals, Smith described the batting skills of Williamson in eloquent terms, comparing it with his own style.

Smith said:

"I think we actually hold the bat reasonably similarly. He has got quite a closed grip. I like that in Test cricket personally. It just helps playing the ball a bit later and I think he plays it a bit later than anybody else in the world."

Kane Williamson

Talking about the patience of the right-handed Kiwi stalwart, Smith added:

"He plays the ball incredibly late, he is patient. Terrific work ethic, a good eye and plenty of time.I think he has loads of time against quick bowling. He is a quality player and hopefully we can keep him quiet this series."

The Test series is being billed as a Smith vs Williamson battle, and it seems Smith himself is aware of that - which explains his effusive praise for his counterpart.

What's next?

Williamson had scored two Test hundreds on his last tour to Australia. Thus, it will be intriguing to see if the Aussie bowlers can keep him down this time around.