WILLIAMSON AWARDED SIR RICHARD HADLEE MEDAL

DUBAI

New Zealand men’s captain Kane Williamson on Tuesday was awarded the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the fourth time in six years, while Amelia Kerr and Devon Conway claimed double honours at the New Zealand Cricket Awards for the 2020-21 season.

Williamson’s incredible home Test summer helped him claim the supreme award, along with the International Test Player of the Year and the Redpath Cup for first-class batting, after he amassed a whopping 639 runs in just four innings at an average of 159. In bowler-friendly conditions, Williamson, the ICC ranked number one Test batsman recorded his top international score of 251 against the West Indies at Seddon Park in Hamilton, then a Boxing Day Test century on his home ground of Bay Oval in Tauranga, before adding another double-century against Pakistan at Hagley Oval in Christchurch — to help the BlackCaps book their place in the ICC World Test Championship final against India.

“Going into the Test summer — there was that Championship Final carrot and there was a real drive there for the guys. Although it seemed a long way off, winning four tests before you’ve started one is a pretty lofty goal and we knew we just had to try and play as well as we could and commit to what was in front of us,” said Williamson in an official NZC release.

“To do that for a long period of time and to spend some time at the crease personally and make contributions towards that … certainly pretty proud as a leader and a player in this side that we were able to achieve some of those things and we’re looking forward to that final,” he added.

Williamson also made special mention of the International Test Player of the Year award.