Australia batting ace Steve Smith heaped praise on New Zealand captain Kane Williamson on Tuesday, and found a similarity in the way the two batsmen hold their bats.
“I think we actually hold the bat reasonably similarly,” Smith said.
He added, “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.
“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.”
New Zealand and Australia face off for a three-match Test series. Both teams come into the contest on the back of series wins. Despite Smith missing out in both Tests, the hosts crushed a hapless Pakistan side with innings wins. The Black Caps are looking to win their first Test series Down Under since 1985. Williamson was in roaring form the last time New Zealand toured Australia, scoring big hundreds in Brisbane and Perth.
The upcoming series has been dubbed as a contest between Smith and Williamson, ranked No 2 and 3 in the ICC batting rankings behind India captain Virat Kohli. Smith warned against taking New Zealand lightly.
“They kind of sneak under the radar every now and again,” Smith said. “They’ve got some quality players and they play well as a team, so we can’t take them lightly by any stretch of the imagination.”
Smith also talked up former New Zealand captain Ross Taylor, who scored his career-best score of 290 four years ago.
“Ross Taylor scored some big runs here last time and their bowling attack have been together for a while and have formed a good partnership together. When the cracks come into play, it’s something that plays on your mind,” Smith said.
“You look down and you see these things. Generally the balls that get you out don’t touch the cracks, they’re just sort of playing in your mind.”