Allan Border chooses Kane Williamson over Virat Kohli

09/18/2016

On being quizzed on one of the most hotly debated topics in cricket at the moment—Who is the best among Kohli, Root, Smith, and Williamson—Allan Border has voted for the Kiwi star. Border has also spoken about why the pink ball should be given a try, and what makes the two-tier system intriguing.

Allan Border was asked about who according to him is the best batsman among Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root. The Australian great replied, “That's a tough question. All four are good players. I have seen Kohli do well in Australia and struggle in England. Joe Root is a seriously good player and Steven Smith too has made runs. Personally, I like watching Virat Kohli bat as he has a great technique and is easy on the eye. However, I must admit that if I want someone to bat for my life - it will have to be Kane Williamson. I have seen him play some superb knocks in difficult conditions.”

Since the pink ball has been introduced to Test cricket, a lot of debates have been held on whether it should permanently replace the red cherry in the longer format of the game as Test cricket battles for its survival amid more dazzling shorter formats in the game. Allan Border, despite being a traditionalist, believes that the pink ball is 'worth trying'.

“I am a traditionalist and like Test cricket the way it is. Having said that, with Test cricket is under a bit of threat - it is worth trying the pink ball. The real issue is that the red ball is made with a dye and you can keep on the shine for most of the time. But the pink ball is painted and on abrasive surfaces - the paint could come off. Going forward, we will have to see if there are rules coined - where you can take a new ball after say 50 overs and things like that,” Border told TOI.

A lot of questions were also raised about the two-tier system in Test cricket, which was proposed and, eventually, scrapped by the ICC. Border, however, feels that a system like that can bring context to every Test match that is being played.

“It has some merit as you can bring in a couple of other sides like Afghanistan and Ireland and it could work. It gives context to every Test match played and you get into the top-tier or in the second. You wouldn't have dead rubbers since teams at the top would want to keep their spots intact while the lower-ranked teams would fight it out to go up. I think Test cricket needs context,” he said.

Allan Border chooses Kane Williamson over Virat Kohli

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