How the Kane Williamson captaincy will shape New Zealand cricket

Above every other rarity in sport, there is one that is holy and unable to be manipulated: the storybook finish.

You'll find more last-minute World Cup winning goals than you will career climaxes that embody an athlete, and what they gave.

We got cricket's One Honest Politician a fortnight ago, with Brendon McCullum's first innings, in his last Test for New Zealand, against Australia, in Christchurch.

McCullum, a batsman of rare pragmatic aggression, would score the fastest century in test cricket history (off only 54 balls); smashing as many sixes in that one knock as Sir Donald Bradman did in his whole test career.

Poetry. Narrative. Call it what you will – it was perfect. His second innings, of course, couldn't be the same for a man who lived, and died, by the sword.

His last scoring shot was a huge six over forward square leg, before holing out to David Warner, close in, the very next delivery.

The crowd at Christchurch's Hagley Oval rose, and applauded with that polite, proud sadness Kiwis do well. Standing at the bowler's end watching him go was Kane Williamson; the Kiwi skipper-in-waiting - fighting his way to a gritty 97 in an ultimately losing effort.

Since McCullum became captain in 2012, the Black Caps haven't just flashed the willow; they've played cricket with a genuine, unburdened spirit rare in modern professional sport.

Kiwi crowds responded: it felt like the Great Team of '80s reborn, but way better. Making the World Cup final at the MCG last year wasn't just a high water mark; it was an example of what New Zealand can do, as a cricketing nation, if everyone buys in.

As McCullum said upon his retirement in Christchurch: "this team has got its soul back." Williamson - still only 25 but easily its finest player - is the perfect custodian of that soul. Expect the same high quality character from the Black Caps under the Tauranga lad. But the way New Zealand bat and bowl will undeniably change under their new skipper.

The answer to how exactly lies in Williamson's utter disinterest in personal records; a quality rare for professional athletes. Given his prodigious talent, Williamson will likely hold every New Zealand batting record - bar McCullum's sixes one - and surpass Martin Crowe, who was texting the new skipper up to a few days before his death from cancer last week, as Our Finest Ever Batsman.

Yet ask anyone who has been around him or the Black Caps camp, and they'll tell you personal milestones mean nothing to the little bloke they call 'the Vault.' It is team success and results that get satisfy him.

To that end: Williamson will expect absolutely unselfish behaviour from his team. Yes, sometimes the blowtorch will be applied – Williamson and coach Mike Hesson will find their own formula there - but the new era will be one of controlled aggression. A combination of the leadership styles of ex-Aussie skipper Allan Border, and fellow Kiwi Stephen Fleming, spring to mind here.

A good early indicator of the style shift will be a noticeable improvement in Tim Southee's batting. Since his Test debut in Napier in 2008, the Northlander has taken a total backyard approach to batting – if it's there, swing at it.

Williamson, an immensely well-liked and respected member of the Black Caps, will find that unacceptable. What if another 20-odd runs - and Southee certainly has the ability to score them - is the difference between winning and losing? Expect Southee to show more far method at the batting crease, and his batting average to increase.

Speaking of selfish behaviour, don't expect perma-troubled power hitter Jesse Ryder to return to the Black Caps. Two years ago, McCullum, and coach Mike Hesson, banished Ryder into the international wilderness after a slew of failed second chances. Despite a rumoured recent coffee catch-up with Williamson, the current skipper will leave him there.

Apart from a handful of T20s and ODIs when McCullum has been injured, Williamson has already captained his nation, at the 2008 Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia. That Kiwi team, which featured the likes of Southee, Trent Boult and Corey Anderson, made the semi-finals, where it was beaten by India.

The need for the two seamers - now the Black Caps main strike bowlers - to recapture their swing ability, which has waned this summer, as well as Anderson's much-needed power hitting, will be key if New Zealand are to build upon the McCullum legacy in the short, and medium, term.

Expect newer names to quickly gain prominence in New Zealand's new era, too. Off-spinner, and debutant this summer, Mitchell Santner seems a custom-built Williamson-style player with his maturity and coolness, while new Black Cap Henry Nicholls has shown promising industry and application at the batting crease. Right-arm quick Matt Henry looks a trustworthy third seamer in the two shortest forms of the game, too.

Outside the usual issues of form (think Martin Guptill as Test opener), the general shape of the Black Caps won't change dramatically in the near future. Williamson will slot into McCullum's former role as a T20 opener in India, while the return of ex-captain Ross Taylor from injury will bolster middle order ranks in all three formats.

After this month's T20 World Cup in India – the official start to the Williamson reign - two Tests in Zimbabwe in late July and early August will be his first, gentle, foray into Test captaincy. Two more in South Africa the following month will be a bigger challenge; the Kiwis haven't won a Test in the Republic for 22 years.

A three-Test series back in India in October and November, as well as five ODIs, loom as the next big trial for Williamson as skipper, before home series against Pakistan and Bangladesh next summer.

Late last year, Williamson's high school coach Mike Johnstone compared him to famed ex-All Blacks captain Richie McCaw; a big call, but worth paying attention to. Both sportsmen are understated, laconic types, who will shrug their shoulders when asked about a great personal game at the breakdown, or a combative double ton. It's the team that matters, they'll say.

Like McCullum, McCaw got his storybook end in London last year, when the All Blacks won their third World Cup.

What's that thing about storybook endings, and narratives? How about good things happening in threes? Only time – and a fair bit of cricket - will tell.

@benstanleynz