True grit amid the guns

Kane Williamson had been a part of the 126-run stand that sapped Sri Lanka and propelled New Zealand into dominance on day one in Christchurch. But even he admits his role in the whole thing was minor.

As his runs dried up when he lost rhythm after lunch, Brendon McCullum was laying waste to the opposition. Williamson's contribution to the partnership was 20 - less than one-fifth of McCullum's tally. "It felt like I was the library in a theme park," was his take on that session, one week later. So entrenched is his reputation for being a dour speaker, someone quipped it would have taken the entire seven days to come up with the analogy.

It would be glib, after Monday's 80 not out off 200 balls, to make Williamson a perpetual librarian. Or a flesh-and-blood museum for cricket's black-and-white days. Truth is, his ODI batting has leapt so far forward in the past 18 months, that he is equipped with every gear a modern batsman requires. He can sprint as well as stonewall. He can bludgeon as well as block.

But although others around him have also become versatile - Brendon McCullum launched that famous Wellington rearguard only 10 months ago - defence is something they had to develop. Williamson is unique in this New Zealand top order because he understands safety better than he knows attack. The grind comes innately to him.

There are no itchy fingers when he's scoreless for ten balls. No tendency to get "bored out" as Ross Taylor once said of one of his dismissals against Pakistan, at this very ground. Like the tuk-tuk of a Misbah-ul-Haq dead bat - tuk-tuk being the double-sound when the ball strikes the bat, then falls, defused, to the pitch), or Kraigg Braithwaite's hunkering down, Williamson gleans satisfaction from the sedate. He was at the crease for 74.2 overs of the 90 overs New Zealand faced today, and they hit only 231 runs. The innings run rate of 2.5 is the slowest for New Zealand, so far in the series.

Williamson did ride his chances. Rangana Herath spilled the first catch, a well-struck lofted drive hitting his palm at shoulder-height. Hours later, a strong hook shot found its way to fine leg Nuwan Pradeep at belly-height, then like magic, appeared behind the fielder's knees, on the ground.

If Williamson's innings is devalued by those missteps, then he is a victim of one of cricket's most ill-founded prejudices. On day two, Kumar Sangakkara had plenty whistle past his blade when he prodded and drove, but his knock will be remembered as one of the finest ever played at this venue. Williamson had nearly middled these two shots, but innings are seen in dimmer light when there are drops.

Maybe Williamson himself will take heart from those two lives, rather than be discouraged by them, because in 2012, his rearguard Basin-Reserve ton against South Africa had been riddled with chances as well. New Zealand drew that match, but lost the series, having arrived in Wellington 1-0 down. Here, his resistance is inching New Zealand toward a series win.

A Dhammika Prasad short ball had brought the second of Williamson's chances, and though Sri Lanka tried him with it multiple times again, they did not find the limits of the batsman's patience. By the end of the day he was ducking even Angelo Mathews' bouncers, which float rather than fly overhead - at less than 120kph. To cower beneath a ball and see it as a moment of victory, or to want nothing to do with a juicy, wide delivery, is more the result of a content mind, than excellent defence.

"The lesson from watching Kane is just his mental state," Tom Latham said at the end of the third day. "He's got a great mental state when he's at the crease and his technique is pretty outstanding."

His defiance was joined for a wicketless third session by BJ Watling, who as wicketkeeper-batsmen go, is the tenacious type rather than the dashing variety. His progress was slower than even Williamson's at day's end, finishing on 48 not out off 140. Together the two had put on 94 off 243 balls.

"Kane and BJ are perfect guys to be out there at the moment," Latham said. "They've shown in the last few hours how determined they are, and we've shown when we've been in these situations before, against India and over in Sharjah, how well we can get through. We've certainly got fighting characteristics throughout the side and we're looking forward to tomorrow to keep digging in."

Under McCullum, New Zealand have made a name for playing no-fear, chambers-loaded cricket. There is every chance Williamson will expand that aspect of his game as the years roll on, but as long as he is in this top order, New Zealand will have a man, who at his core, is made of grit.