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Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has praised Kane Williamson, comparing him to Steve Smith – but he didn't rate the Black Caps skipper at first.
Ahead of the three-test series across the Tasman, Ponting said he wasn't a believer in Williamson early on but has since changed his mind.
"Brendon McCullum said to me then 'this kid is going to be one of the best players in the world'," Ponting said in an interview with Cricket Australia's official website.
"But when you see him now and what he's developed into, he plays the ball later than anybody, he makes big runs, he makes runs consistently and he's been talked about as a being one of the best players in the world for the last four or five years.
"And he's their captain, so he's a very important player for them."
Ricky Ponting. Photo / Photosport
Ponting said his former side will have to get Williamson "out of his bubble" to stop him from causing damage in the series.
"He's a bit like [Steve] Smith (in test cricket); he's very regimented in the way he plays, he plays the ball late, he doesn't get a big stride at the ball," Ponting said.
"But he's just really hard to get out so I'm looking forward to the battle between him and our quicks.
"I think you've got to bowl to him a little bit like I think how you should bowl to Smithy - on a fourth or fifth stump line and reasonably full.
"He plays the ball really late and drops the ball down to third man a lot, so I think your third slip can be up really close to make him think he can't play that shot in case it carries to slip.
"(You should) play around with the field behind the wicket, just to get him thinking about it. He looks like one of those guys that, like Smithy, once they get into their bubble and they're happy with the way everything's going, you can't unsettle them, and you can't get them out.
"So I think you have to unsettle him first and sometimes that's as easy as just a strange field placement. Put someone in a different spot just to get the batsman thinking 'what are they doing here?'
"If you just get him thinking something different, you can be a step ahead."
The first test between the Black Caps and Australia in Perth starts on 12 December.
