Time and patience: Smith sums up classy Kane

Australia will be desperate to keep softly-spoken New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson equally quiet with the bat when the Domain Test series starts from Thursday.

Williamson is Test cricket's No.3 ranked batter, behind Virat Kohli (No.1) and Steve Smith (No.2), and is without doubt the prize scalp of the tourists who are aiming to win their first Test series on Australian soil since 1985.

The right-hander averages 49.38 against New Zealand's Trans-Tasman rivals and that figure skips to 55.55 in Australia where he scored two centuries in three Tests the last time the Black Caps toured these shores four years ago.

Williamson began the 2015 tour with a sublime first-innings 140 from 178 balls and 24 fours in Brisbane before going bigger with 166 at the WACA Ground the following match.

Under the floodlights of the Adelaide Oval in the series finale, Williamson fell cheaply to the pink ball twice as the hosts won the inaugural day-night Test by three wickets to claim a 2-0 series victory.

So prolific is Williamson that Smith has admitted to mimicking the Black Caps run machine, taking parts of his Kiwi rival's technique and introducing them into his own repertoire.

Williamson's soft hands, his glide to third man with an angled bat and how he plays the ball as late as possible are all trademarks Smith has incorporated into his design.

And while Smith and Williamson may appear aesthetically opposite in how they go about piling on run after run, the Australian sees similarities perhaps only he could identify. 

"I think we actually hold the bat reasonably similarly," Smith said today in Perth. "He has got quite a closed grip. I like that in Test cricket personally.

"It just helps playing the ball a bit later and I think he plays it a bit later than anybody else in the world."

Targeting the opposition captain is no new tactic for Australian teams and it appears to have worked in the past decade at home.

Only four visiting skippers have averaged more than 45 in a series since 2009 – West Indies maverick Chris Gayle (69.20 in 2009), India's Virat Kohli (112.25 in 2014-15), South African Faf du Plessis (51.50 in 2016) and England captain Joe Root (47.25 in 2017-18). Only du Plessis returned home with the trophy.

Of those captains who have endured a torrid time, Pakistan's Azhar Ali (15.50 this summer) and Misbah-ul-Haq (12.66 in 2016-17), New Zealand's Ross Taylor (19.00 in 2011) and Sri Lanka's Dinesh Chandimal (6.00 in 2018-19) are among those with the bleakest records.

Smith hopes Williamson is part of the latter group but acknowledges the New Zealander has the attributes to thrive.

"He plays the ball incredibly late, he is patient," Smith said. "Terrific work ethic, a good eye and plenty of time.

"I think he has loads of time against quick bowling. He is a quality player and hopefully we can keep him quiet this series."

Domain Test Series v New Zealand

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

New Zealand: Todd Astle, Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, BJ Watling, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson (c)

First Test: December 12-16, Perth Stadium day-night (Seven, Fox & Kayo)

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG (Seven, Fox & Kayo)

Third Test: January 3-7, SCG (Seven, Fox & Kayo)