Kane Williamson’s fight to convince he's worthy of T20 World Cup spot with Black Caps

Sunday, 5 October 2025

For the first time in his career, Kane Williamson will need to persuade a coach he’s good enough to be selected.

Williamson was unavailable for the Black Caps in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy T20 series against Australia which ended in Mt Maunganui on Saturday night.

However, New Zealand’s greatest batter will return from the UK - where he played in the County Championship, T20 Blast and the Hundred - this week and it’s understood will be part of the national squad for the upcoming white-ball matches against England.

It’s believed Williamson was keen to commit to the ODI squad for the home international season, and should play in the three-test series against the West Indies in December.

But a conversation with new head coach Rob Walter will likely be held over his standing in the T20 format - the Black Caps will play three T20Is versus Brendon McCullum’s charges beginning on October 18, before a three-match ODI series.

Walter has to decide over the next three months the composition of the squad to contest the T20 world Cup, starting in India and Sri Lanka in February.

And what Williamson is likely to need to display to get him to that tournament is the ability to strike more boundaries and score quicker than he has in the past.

Prior to the opening game of the T20I series against Australia on Wednesday night, the Black Caps had a batting dot-ball rate of 32% in the format this year - the lowest of any test-playing nation.

In game one, their dot-ball rate was even better (24%), but that still wasn’t enough to truly challenge the visitors.

That’s because Australia’s team batting Strike Rate in 2025 has been 158.4 - the best of any T20I team. On Wednesday, when they chased down New Zealand’s tally with plenty of wickets and balls in hand, their innings SR was a whopping 186.9.

With the power batting game continuing to dominate T20Is, Williamson is increasingly looking like a man out of time.

The 35-year-old has played 90 T20I innings for New Zealand, making 2575 runs at an average of 33.44, at a Strike Rate of 123.08.

Only Martin Guptill has scored more T20I runs for New Zealand, and Williamson sits 13th on the all-time T20I run-scoring list by batters from the top-tier nations.

Yet he has the lowest SR among those 13 players.

Williamson hasn’t played a T20I for the national side since their last group match at the 2024 World Cup, when the Black Caps were handed an early exit after defeats by Afghanistan and hosts the West Indies. He failed with the bat in both key matches, being dismissed for nine versus Afghanistan and one against the Windies.

“Certainly I'm sure that he would want to be part of it,” Walter said recently when asked about Williamson’s possible selection for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

“And so really it's about the balance of our team. It's about utilising his experience and expertise to put together the best combination of a squad for the World Cup.

“Quality players stay quality players and he certainly is one.

“It’s really about, as we try to evolve our game, how his game fits in with that.”

Williamson spent the NZ winter playing in the UK, after making himself unavailable for the Black Caps T20I and test tour of Zimbabwe as part of his casual contract with NZC. He batted at a notably quicker pace in the domestic T20 Blast competition, making 396 runs at 33 with a SR of 138.94.

Along with Walter, Williamson’s form in the matches versus England may come under the scrutiny of a new national selector, after Sam Wells stepped down after nearly two years in the role in August.

NZC said at the time it hoped to have Wells’ successor in place for the new domestic season, which starts with the 50-over Ford Trophy on October 25.

White-ball captain Mitchell Santner will likely be asked his thoughts on his former captain, but Walter will have the biggest say as to whether Williamson will miss his first white-ball World Cup with New Zealand since 2011.

His case for inclusion in NZ’s squad could be based around his big-match temperament - he made 85 from 48 balls in the 2021 World Cup final versus Australia in Dubai - along with his ability to play spin and experience of batting in India.

But he hasn’t been a factor in the Indian Premier League since suffering an injury at the start of the 2023 season, has only played five T20Is in India between 2012-2017, averaging 16.80 with a SR of 98.82.

The Black Caps appear likely to stack their batting with boundary-hitters with notably high Strike Rates for the World Cup - which will make it tough for one or both Williamson and Devon Conway to make the squad.

Tim Seifert has had success at the top of the order this year and offers wicketkeeping services too, while Finn Allen has been sidelined from the national side with a foot injury after registering a SR of 211.76 in the home series versus Pakistan.

Rachin Ravindra is likely to bat at No.3 or No.4, but missed his opportunity to cement a place when his training accident ruled him out of the series against Australia.

Tim Robinson’s rapid unbeaten century on Wednesday increased his chances of World Cup selection, while Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips seem certain to be in the tournament squad - with Mark Chapman and Bevon Jacobs fighting for a middle-order place.

Black Caps vs England schedule

T20I, Saturday 18 October, Hagley Oval, 7:15pm

T20I, Monday 20 October, Hagley Oval, 7:15pm

T20I, Thursday 23 October, Eden Park, 7:15pm

ODI, Sunday 26 October, Bay Oval, 2pm

ODI, Wednesday 29 October, Seddon Park, 2pm

ODI, Saturday 1 November, Wellington Stadium, 2pm