Simon Doull urges Williamson to give up Test captaincy to prolong his career

Former New Zealand pacer and noted commentator Simon Doull has urged Kane Williamson to give up Test captaincy to prolong his international career.

Williamson has grappled with injuries and poor form for some time now. The stylish batsman has played just two Tests since leading his side to a WTC win precisely an year ago.

He missed the Mumbai Test during the tour of India last winter and was subsequently ruled out of the entire home summer due to tennis elbow issues.

Williamson returned to competitive cricket in the recent season of the IPL, where he underwhelmed with the bat, striking at less than 100. He cut short his IPL stint to attend the birth of his baby but linked up with the national squad ahead of the Test series in England.

He struggled with the bat as well as a leader at Lord's before Covid ruled him out of the Nottingham Test, which the BlackCaps ended up losing comprehensively.

Doull, currently commenting for Sky Sports in England, believes that with Tom Latham being a readymade option, the time for transition is ripe in New Zealand cricket.

"I just don't know about the longevity of Kane Williamson, the captain. He is, without doubt, the best player we've ever produced outside of Sir Richard Hadlee. He is world-class, and I'd love him to be just the best player we've ever seen, and if that means giving up the Test captaincy to prolong his career, I think he should," said Doull, as quoted by India Today.

"He's never been a lover of doing the media; he's just not that guy. He's a real cricket guy. He loves the game and studies the game. I just don't know that he can sustain all three formats. I would rather he was just New Zealand's one-day and T20 captain," said Doull.

"When you've got a really worthy replacement, Tom Latham is. I think that is the easiest time to transition and walk away from it. New Zealand don't play another Test until the autumn [after Headingley], so it is not a bad time after the Leeds Test to do it," he added.

Doull also believes that Williamson has not been able to overcome the heartbreak of losing to England via boundary count in the 2019 World Cup final.

"The way Kane handled things through that 50-over [World] cup final, I think it affected him for a long time after that. I don't think he got over it for six to eight months, and maybe he still hasn't. It hurt him a lot, just because he felt it was their time. They were all at their peak Boult, Southee, Williamson, Taylor, that was New Zealand's World Cup to win," 

Williamson has recovered from Covid, and the WTC-winning skipper will be looking to stage a fightback at Headingley as New Zealand scramble to salvage lost pride and valuable 12 championship points.