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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Andy Bull

‘Red-ball cricket is the soul of the game’: Kane Williamson joins Middlesex

Kane Williamson in the nets at the Nursery Ground at Lord's on Wednesday
Kane Williamson in the nets at the Nursery Ground at Lord's on Wednesday, after he was picked up at the airport by Middlesex captain Steve Eskinazi. Photograph: Ray Lawrence/TGS Photo/Shutterstock

The world’s third-best Test batsman has made a quiet arrival in London for the beginning of a four-month stint in county cricket. Middlesex made headlines recently by saying they were keen to sign Virat Kohli. Maybe next year. This one, they’ve got his friend and contemporary Kane Williamson who, with his gear stuffed into a Karachi Kings kit bag, was picked up from the airport by his new captain, Steve Eskinazi, on Wednesday morning then went straight to training on the Nursery Ground before the game against Sussex in the Blast on Thursday night.

Williamson should do plenty for Middlesex’s middle order, but maybe not quite so much for the viewing figures their live stream brings in on the subcontinent. Still, it feels like a coup for county cricket. It has been made possible by the support of MCC, who are paying a part of the 34-year-old’s fee so that he can double up playing for London Spirit in the Hundred.

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