Kane Williamson set for emotional final Lord’s Test appearance against England

Veteran New Zealand batter Kane Williamson is set to bid farewell to Lord’s as he prepares for what will be his final appearance at the iconic venue during the opening Test against England.

During his press conference on Tuesday, the 35-year-old briefly paused with a touch of humour when he realised the significance of the occasion.

“Yeah it probably is, eh? And you're delaying my lunch, which isn't very good of you...”

Williamson will earn his 110th Test cap on Thursday, and if all goes well, he will have six more lunches to enjoy before the end of the match.

His first appearance at Lord’s came in 2013, while his association with the ground stretches back even further to 2012, when he played for Gloucestershire against Middlesex in a Clydesdale Bank Pro40 fixture as an overseas signing.

Beyond his four previous Test appearances at the Home of Cricket, Williamson’s only other first-class outing at the venue came for Yorkshire in 2014, a match remembered for Middlesex chasing down 472 with relative ease.

Last summer, Williamson also signed a unique arrangement with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), allowing him to feature for both Middlesex and London Spirit in The Hundred.

That move came after he opted out of his New Zealand central contract the previous year, missing two Test matches against Zimbabwe as a result.

Still without a national contract in the twilight of his career, and with uncertainty over New Zealand’s future tours amid the absence of a Future Tours Programme beyond 2027, Williamson is expected to savour every moment of his final week in NW8.

“It’s always a special Test,” Williamson said. “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.

“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.

“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.”

Six members of the current New Zealand squad featured in their last Lord’s Test in 2022, Ben Stokes’ first match as full-time England captain. Tim Southee, who led the attack alongside Trent Boult in that game, is also part of England’s backroom staff as bowling consultant.

Williamson’s record at Lord’s is modest by his high standards, averaging 32 from eight innings compared to his career average of 54.58. However, he does have his name on the honours board in the away dressing room, an achievement that eluded several greats including Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.

One of his most memorable performances at the ground came in 2015, when he struck 132 in a thrilling Test that ended in a 124-run defeat. The match went down to the final day, featuring a spectacular Moeen Ali catch off Trent Boult at deep third.

That game was later credited with helping to reignite interest in English Test cricket, with England going on to regain the Ashes later that summer. Current England head coach Brendon McCullum, who was New Zealand captain at the time, could do with a similar spark 11 years on.

Recalling his century, Williamson highlighting how the match ultimately featured both a significant batting display and a dramatic shift in conditions that shaped the contest.

The former New Zealand captain spoke about the prestige of featuring on the Lord’s honours board and how that particular Test remains one of the standout moments of his career despite the result going against his side.

He also noted how the nature of the pitch and changing overhead conditions made batting increasingly challenging as the game progressed.

“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 and that’s 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.”