Williamson ready to show true colours for title run-in

Williamson made a golden duck and dropped two chances on his Yorkshire debut against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, a first appearance he will want to forget.

Now Williamson wants to show his true colours at North Marine Road and prove that first impressions can sometimes be deceptive.

The 23-year-old is expected to retain his place in a powerful batting order enhanced by the availability of Gary Ballance and Jonny Bairstow, both of whom have been omitted from England’s one-day squad to face Australia and are set to feature in the Championship run-in.

“It was a horrid start for me,” reflected Williamson. “To get out first ball and drop a couple of catches as well, it all added up to one horrid individual performance. But that’s just the way it goes sometimes.

“The most important thing is that we won the game and that the rest of the boys performed really well.”

Softly-spoken and self-effacing, Williamson has settled quickly into the Yorkshire set-up.

First impressions, in fact, are actually favourable; Williamson possesses an excellent attitude on and off the field.

With 83 international appearances to his credit at the age of 23, Williamson has little to prove to anyone.

Nevertheless, he is determined to show the qualities that have got him to the highest level and to contribute to Yorkshire’s push for the Championship.

“Every time you play you want to do well and contribute, and I just have to keep working hard for the team now,” he added.

“I haven’t played at Scarborough before; there will be a big crowd in and I know that the lads are really looking forward to it.

“The team are obviously going great at the moment and the guys are on a bit of a roll.

“I’m really enjoying the culture and I want to contribute as best I can.”

Perhaps one reason for Williamson’s low-key start at Trent Bridge was the fact he had only recently flown in from New Zealand.

Now he has had a few days to acclimatise and re-adjust his body clock, the runs – and wickets – could start to flow.

Clear improvement was detectable in his display against Glamorgan in the YB40 at Headingley on Monday.

Williamson scored 45 and picked up a wicket in a performance that augured well for the Championship run-in.

As an outsider coming into the Yorkshire camp, Williamson is ideally placed to provide a fresh perspective on the county’s success.

After defeat in their opening game against Sussex, the club have never looked back, storming to the top of the Championship with just one month of the season remaining.

Williamson may not have made the first impression he wanted in Nottingham but the team have certainly made a good first impression on him.

He attributes their success to one simple factor.

“It may sound very straightforward, but the one thing I’ve really noticed is that the boys seem to be focusing on the next ball, the next wicket, the next run,” he said.

“In other words, they’re not getting ahead of themselves and playing their cricket in the present.

“That’s really important because you’ve got to take things one step at a time.

“That’s definitely been obvious from what I’ve seen.”

Another thing Williamson has noticed is enjoyment. It is the pleasure that comes from competing in a successful side.

“I can tell the boys are really enjoying their cricket,” he said.

“There’s a good culture in place and it’s nice to be a part of it.

“The boys are really doing their jobs in the side, which of course helps to create that positive culture.

“It showed in the last game at Trent Bridge with the way the boys batted and then backed it up with the ball.”

Williamson, who has previously represented Gloucestershire, has quickly made friends with his Yorkshire colleagues.

They have welcomed him with open arms.

“The lads have been great,” he said.

“I’ve had a few dinners with them since I’ve been here and I’m enjoying every minute of it.

“I’ve had a week-and-a-bit here now and it’s been really good.

“I’m even starting to sleep again now after the flight.”

Having been signed to offset the absence of Yorkshire’s England stars, Williamson now finds himself part of a strong batting order boosted by the considerable presence of Ballance and Bairstow.

Ballance has surprisingly been omitted from the five-match ODI series against Australia, which starts at Headingley on September 6, while Bairstow had already been left out of the last Ashes Test at The Oval.

Ballance has been chosen, however, in a 14-man squad for the one-off ODI against Ireland in Malahide on September 3.

Batsman Joe Root – rested for that game – is Yorkshire’s sole representative for the Australia ODI series.

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