“It’s scary to think how good he could be in the years to come”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum believes that Kane Williamson will become the country’s “greatest-ever batter”.

McCullum’s comments come after Williamson scored 57 in New Zealand’s World Cup opener against Sri Lanka.

“Kane is a phenomenal talent,” McCullum said. “I believe he’ll go down as our greatest-ever batter. I don’t want to put that added pressure on him, but what we’re seeing at the moment is a guy who is incredibly comfortable with his game, who keeps trying to develop his game, keeps learning.”

McCullum also noted that “it’s scary to think how good he could be in the years to come”.

“He works very, very hard,” McCullum added. “He’s an incredible team man and I think we’ve seen that with some of his innings that he’s looking to up the ante for the team rather than chase individual milestones along the way.

“It’s scary to think how good he could be in the years to come. I wouldn’t change him for anyone in the world at number three. I think he’s an outstanding player who’s going to make some sizable contributions in this World Cup.”

McCullum also confirmed that he feels Williamson is just as good as India batsman Virat Kohli, who also comes in at number three.

“Virat is an amazing player,” McCullum said. “His record is phenomenal already, and he’s still such a young guy, and the runs that he scores, I think when he gets hundreds chasing, he’ll win most times.

“I guess I’m more familiar with Kane’s game and his impact on our team, which is one of the reasons why I say that I wouldn’t change him.”