Cricket: Captains and mates arrow in on success

David Warner and Kane Williamson are chalk and cheese when it comes to celebrations ... except at darts. Photo / Getty Images

The Sunrisers Hyderabad dressing room set the scene for a prime example of transtasman cricketing camaraderie during last season's Indian Premier League.

A wet training session brought the players inside.

Kane Williamson and David Warner stepped up to the darts oche to deliver a trio of arrows.

Suddenly Williamson shot a triple 20, then another. Just like a cricket match, interest piqued to see if he could deliver a hat-trick.

He obliged.

The dressing room erupted, but no one more so than the New Zealand captain and his Australian playing partner.

They hugged, gave the board a double check to confirm the feat, before Williamson careered off around the ping-pong table in a spontaneous jig. Warner clapped his mate the entire lap as the awe of the feat sank in.

The scene was a compelling contrast to the norm.

Williamson celebrates test centuries like he's waving to a neighbour while strolling to the letterbox.

Warner's pugnacity has often found him at the centre of on and off-field confrontations.

Yet their bond of goodwill was obvious. The Australian was arguably more excited than the New Zealander at the "one hundred and eighty", a feat normally reserved for the likes of Phil "The Power" Taylor.

Warner gushed "I'm proud of him" and comparing the triple triple-20 with a hole-in-one at golf.

Both whipped out phones to capture the evidence.

Last weekend the pair were selected to continue for a fourth season together at Hyderabad in the IPL. Warner was retained on a $2.6 million contract as captain; Williamson earned a bid of $640,000.

Both will also lead their respective countries in the Twenty20 tri-series opener tomorrow in Sydney.

"We've spent a lot of time together. He's a mate of mine," said Williamson, when asked whether Warner's combative streak was misunderstood.

"He understands the game extremely well, cares about his teammates, and is a leader in the groups he plays in."

Williamson, as a player perpetually in the market for ideas, has taken note of Warner's methods.

"[At Sunrisers Hyderabad] he has led the team from the front with his talent, is inclusive sharing his ideas and asks others for theirs.

"I've got a lot of time for him and his passion for the game."

The IPL auction's nuances have been scrutinised this week with New Zealand Cricket Players' Association boss Heath Mills describing the process as "archaic and deeply humiliating for the players, who are paraded like cattle for all the world to see".

Williamson was less gung-ho.

"It's a fascinating process — I didn't watch it — but strategically it's hard to get a read on.

"Teams are trying to plan to get a balance. That can change on a given day, depending on others' bids. You don't want to get too hopeful or caught up in it. For instance, how do you balance the quality of local cricketers against whether it's better to pick an overseas player? I just love the opportunity to play alongside world-class players and local talent, experience conditions where pitches can vary a lot, and get involved in the culture of such a great, diverse country," said Williamson.

For now, Williamson and his team turn their attention to just their sixth T20 against Australia in 13 years.

They lost the first four, tied the next at Christchurch in 2010 and won the most recent, a pool match at Dharamsala during the 2016 World T20 Cup.

New Zealand lost their only previous T20 at the SCG, in February 2009, by one run.