‘You’re delaying my lunch’ – Williamson revels in final Lord’s bow
A Historic Farewell at the Home of Cricket
It was during Kane Williamson’s press conference on Tuesday that the reality of the situation truly dawned on him: the upcoming first Test match against England will be his final appearance at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground. The legendary New Zealand batter, who first stepped onto this hallowed turf in 2013 to earn his 24th international cap, is poised to claim his 110th cap on Thursday. When reporters pressed him on the significance of the occasion, Williamson kept things light and humorous. “Yeah it probably is, eh? And you’re delaying my lunch, which isn’t very good of you…” he joked. All being well, the 35-year-old maestro will have six more iconic Lord’s lunches to enjoy over the coming week.
Williamson’s Deep-Rooted History at NW8
Williamson’s connection with Lord’s stretches back more than a decade. He first graced the London venue as a young professional in 2012, turning out against Middlesex in a Clydesdale Bank Pro40 fixture during his stint as an overseas signing for Gloucestershire. Outside of his four previous Test match appearances at the ground, his only other first-class outing at the venue came whilst representing Yorkshire in 2014. That particular match is remembered for a hilarious piece of cricket folklore, earning Joe Root the tongue-in-cheek nickname “craptain” after Middlesex successfully chased down a mammoth fourth-innings target of 472 runs for the loss of just three wickets.
More recently, Williamson signed a unique and highly talked-about deal with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)—the prestigious owners of Lord’s. The agreement allowed him to represent both Middlesex in domestic cricket and the MCC-owned Hundred franchise, London Spirit. To facilitate this stint, Williamson, who had already opted out of his New Zealand Cricket central contract the previous year, made the difficult decision to miss two Test matches against Zimbabwe. Now operating without a national deal in the twilight of his illustrious career, and with considerable uncertainty surrounding when New Zealand might next tour England given the absence of a confirmed Future Tours Programme beyond 2027, Williamson is determined to savour every moment in NW8 one final time.
The Magic of Lord’s Traditions
For any cricketer, playing at the Home of Cricket is a career-defining experience, and Williamson is no exception. “It’s always a special Test,” Williamson remarked when discussing the upcoming match. “I think if you look over your career, you only get… well, depends on how long you play for… but yeah, I’ve played for a while and you only get a handful of opportunities to come to Lord’s and play.”
He spoke passionately about the unique atmosphere that sets the venue apart from any other cricket stadium in the world. “I think the way they maintain the tradition is quite special. It’s unique to Lord’s; the history that surrounds it, the effort that goes into all of that. You come here and you notice those differences to all other grounds. Walking out to the pitch through the Long Room, bumping into a few members, and obviously, the lunches are iconic. There’s a number of things that are memorable here. But it is a special place to play and I think everybody feels that their first time and also values every opportunity that they have.”
Williamson also noted that several of his teammates will be experiencing the magic of Lord’s for the very first time this week. “To have the experience that you have here. I know for a number of players in the dressing room, it’s their first time and they’re pretty excited at that prospect.”
A Changed Landscape and a Familiar Foe
Only six players from the current New Zealand squad featured in their last Test match at Lord’s back in 2022, a game that marked Ben Stokes’ very first match as England’s full-time Test captain. In an interesting twist of fate, Tim Southee, who led the Black Caps’ bowling attack alongside Trent Boult during that 2022 encounter, is also present at the ground this week—but this time, he is serving as England’s bowling consultant.
Etching His Name on the Honours Board
Statistically, Williamson’s personal record at Lord’s is somewhat modest compared to his lofty standards. He averages 32.00 from eight Test innings at the ground, a notable contrast to his outstanding career batting average of 54.58. However, he possesses something that many of the game’s greatest legends never achieved: his name is immortalised on the away dressing room’s famous honours board. Even icons like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara famously retired without securing a place on those coveted walls.
Williamson earned his spot in the summer of 2015, playing a masterclass of an innings to score 132 in the opening Test of the English summer. It was a spectacular match that went down to a dramatic final-day finish, concluding when Moeen Ali took a sensational catch off Trent Boult at deep third. England’s victory in that Test was widely credited with revitalising the nation’s passion for red-ball cricket, paving the way for them to reclaim the Ashes later that summer. Current England head coach Brendon McCullum, who captained the Black Caps on that day, would surely love to witness another classic of similar proportions 11 years later.
Reflecting on that unforgettable 2015 match, Williamson recalled: “The honours board is something that people talk a lot about. It was an amazing game of cricket too, to be fair. We ended up losing, but scored 700 runs and took 20 wickets—on any other day we’re pretty happy with that. It was unique because it was a pretty good pitch and then, overheads came over and the lights came on and all of a sudden it was really, really difficult. Those are some of the characteristics that you have here, in particular in England with the Dukes ball. It was a memorable time some time ago, but I do remember it fondly.”
