‘You’re delaying my lunch’ – Williamson revels in final Lord’s bow

A Sentimental but Humorous Farewell to the Home of Cricket

During Kane Williamson’s press conference on Tuesday, a lighthearted moment revealed a bittersweet reality: the upcoming first Test against England will be his last appearance at Lord’s. The legendary batsman, whose first appearance here in 2013 was only his 24th cap, will earn his 110th cap on Thursday. All being well, the 35-year-old will have exactly six more legendary lunches to enjoy in the historic pavilion. Reflecting on this final milestone, the sentiment behind ‘You’re delaying my lunch’ – Williamson revels in final Lord’s bow perfectly highlights the relaxed yet focused mindset of one of New Zealand’s greatest sports icons.

From Gloucestershire to the Lord’s Honours Board

Williamson first graced the hallowed turf of Lord’s as a professional back in 2012, playing against Middlesex in a Clydesdale Bank Pro40 fixture as an overseas signing for Gloucestershire. Aside from his four previous Test appearances, his only other first-class game at the ground came for Yorkshire in 2014—a match that famously earned Joe Root the humorous nickname ‘craptain’ as Middlesex chased down a massive target of 472 for the loss of just three wickets.

Last summer, Williamson signed a unique deal with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the owners of Lord’s. This arrangement allowed him to play for both Middlesex and the MCC-owned Hundred franchise, the London Spirit. In prioritizing these opportunities during the twilight of his career, Williamson, who had opted out of his New Zealand Cricket central contract the year before, missed two Test matches against Zimbabwe.

Savouring Every Moment in NW8

Still operating without a national contract and with uncertainty over when New Zealand may next tour England given the lack of a defined Future Tours Programme beyond 2027, Williamson is determined to savour the week ahead in NW8 one final time.

‘It’s always a special Test,’ Williamson said of playing at Lord’s. ‘I think if you look over your career, you only get… well, it 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.’

For many in the New Zealand camp, the magic of the venue is brand new. ‘To have the experience that you have here,’ Williamson added. ‘I know for a number of players in the dressing room, it’s their first time and they’re pretty excited at that prospect.’

An Historic Legacy and the 2015 Classic

While Williamson’s career average stands at an illustrious 54.58, his personal record at Lord’s is relatively modest, averaging 32 from eight innings. However, he has achieved something that eluded all-time icons like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara: his name is permanently etched on the away dressing room honours board.

That accolade was earned in the summer of 2015 when he struck a masterful 132 in the opening Test of the summer. The match itself was an absolute thriller, culminating in a dramatic final-day finish where Moeen Ali took a spectacular catch to dismiss Trent Boult at deep third. The English victory in that match was credited with reigniting the public’s passion for Test cricket in the country. Brendon McCullum, who was the Black Caps skipper during that legendary encounter, now sits in the opposition dugout as England’s head coach.

‘The honours board is something that people talk a lot about,’ Williamson recalled. ‘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.’