Do we like them?

Do we like Kane Williamson?

Our score: 8 out of 10. Decent on and off the field for years, with a few clear stands for equality, but not much public advocacy beyond cricket.

Williamson grew up in Tauranga, on New Zealand's North Island, a sporty kid who played plenty besides cricket. He made his first-class debut at 16 and his Test debut at 20 with a century. In 2016 he took over the captaincy from Brendon McCullum.

Over 16 years he became New Zealand's leading Test run-scorer, finishing with 9,515 Test runs and 33 Test centuries. He also captained the side in 206 of 378 matches. He gave up the captaincy in 2024, and by the end he was playing series by series without a central contract.

Scandals? Honestly there's not much to tell. The Black Caps copped fines for slow over-rates and he was once reported over a suspect bowling action. That's cricket admin, not character, and I found no court cases, lawsuits or allegations about how he treats people.

The good stuff is mostly about how he carries himself. The ICC gave him its 2018 Spirit of Cricket award, and it reported he donated match fees to victims of the 2014 Peshawar attack. Opponents and rivals have long praised his manners, and his old school coach said he wanted to be great “but not at anyone else's expense”.

His exit was quiet and classy. He said he'd thought about it for a while and that continuing with anything less than his all “wouldn't be right”. New Zealand's coach called him a very special player and person.

So: would we support him? Yes. He doesn't have a record of public advocacy beyond the odd equality statement, so call it a firm yes, not a gush.