Kane Williamson and Kemar Roach before the start of the 1st Test on Thursday (Twitter/WindiesCricket)Kane Williamson scored 97* on the first day of the Test series vs West Indies, but one of his gestures from before the start of play has taken the internet by storm.
An image which has since gone viral shows Williamson hugging West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach before the start of Day 1 on Thursday. Roach’s father Andrew Smith recently passed away.
@NotNossy
Great gesture kane.!Kane Williamson showing his support to Kemar Roach who lost his father recently – nice gesture from Classy Kane. #KaneWilliamson #بندر_ایماندار_ہے #بندر_ایماندار_ہے pic.twitter.com/ROPwzMElY7
— Raja Asim (@raja__786) December 3, 2020
Kane Williamson showing his support to Kemar Roach who lost his father recently – nice gesture from Classy Kane. pic.twitter.com/PO2dKOp8QM
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 3, 2020
New Zealand and West Indies cricketers wore black armbands during the opening day of the first test match in Hamilton in honour of Roach’s father.
Cricket West Indies released a statement on Thursday “Losing a loved one is never easy, and we want to offer our full support to Kemar during this very difficult time.”
“We got the news as we prepared for the test match here, and the players and team support staff all got together and offered tremendous support.”
Williamson is renowned as one of the sport’s nicest figures, having won the ICC’s Spirit of Cricket award.
Roach sank to his knee in a moment of reflection when he bowled Tom Latham for 86.
#NZvWI That’s the end of Day 1, New Zealand have the upper hand, West Indies will be looking to bounce back tomorrow 💪🏽 NZ 243/2, Williamson 97*, Taylor 31*, Latham 86; Roach 1-53.#WIPlayers #Cricket #WI #Rally #WIAllIn #MenInMaroon pic.twitter.com/i0YWClg8Qi
— WIPA (@wiplayers) December 3, 2020
It was a mostly luckless day for the West Indies. The Kiwis lost debutant Will Young for just 5 runs, however, a 154-run partnership for the second wicket ensured that the hosts’ innings was back on track. At Stumps on Day 1, New Zealand scored 243/2 with Williamson batting on 97 and Ross Taylor unbeaten on 31.
Read | NZ vs WI 1st Test, Day 1 Report