Kane into The Don just doesn’t go

By Paul Montague

New Zealand’s diminutive first drop is a Jedi of the Willow, is beautiful to watch and obviously has the game to become a possible all-time world great. That we know. But The Don divided by Kane doesn’t work. There is only one Don Bradman. There only ever will be.

Yes, Williamson does bat in a very alike unobtrusive, textbook manner to The Don and has similar footwork to absolutely envy, but until he can influence the results of multiple test series’ in his career and claim a career average of 70 as a minimum, some people (probably not the more knowledgeable types or purists) really are starting to come down with a case of ‘Kane Fever’.

Thank goodness he reportedly doesn’t read the cricket reports much and seems so unflappable. All of these great compliments from even the likes of the legendary Allan Border are no doubt flattering and even well-deserved but can we just rein it all in ever so slightly? God help the poor bloke if he somehow flops in the next two tests.

It is certainly quite nostalgic and rather romantic to think there is another little master in our midst that we can somehow hope can be like Bradman. But Bradman is the incomparable. It’s apples and oranges. Bradman averaged 99.94 over about eleven or twelve active years of test cricket. He famously only needed four runs from his last test innings to average exactly 100. He batted with no helmet and had the bare standard gloves, pads and box as his only protection. As well he went through the harrowing ‘Bodyline’ series and averaged close to 60 from it. He batted his innings on uncovered wickets and endured ages long and no doubt tiring sea voyages to play several long Ashes series’ in England.

So, can we please just let Kane be Kane and potentially rejoice in his deeds should he even get anywhere within cooee of what a legend of world sport achieved.