Other than batting in his tidy routine and punching the ball through point on his back foot, winning hearts seems to be his favourite thing to do. Be it accepting birthday cake from spectators in Colombo or walking up to thank New Zealand fans for their support after a painful defeat at the MCG, Williamson is at it all the time.
How can one person do so much good? And, even if you leave that aside for a moment, how can a person and a cricket captain at that, remain calm in the face of a defeat in the World Cup Final, when there was never really any defeat.On top of that, he always gives so much credit to the opposition! Who does that?
From agreeing to go on a date for charity and interacting with students at Oxford to getting Dale Steyn to sign his cracked box, Williamson is no stranger to winning hearts.
The batsman won them again when he wrote an open letter appreciating the medical staff for their persistent work amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The letter comes at a time when New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has declared a state of national emergency as the country is under complete lockdown to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
New Zealand’s coronavirus positive cases stand at 283 currently as the government has imposed self-isolation for everyone, with all non-essential services, schools and offices shut for a month.
New Zealand, with about 5 million people, has fewer infections than many other countries, but Ardern’s government wants to move fast to halt the spread. The country was one of the first to force all arriving travellers into self-isolation and to ban indoor and outdoor gatherings.
Here is the full text of Williamson’s letter:
Dear doctors, nurses and caregivers,
Events of the past few days have made it clear we’re living through a health crisis the likes of which we’ve never seen.
There will no doubt be times in the coming days when the scale of what we’re facing will seem overwhelming.
We’re so grateful you have our backs.
People talk about the pressure sportsmen and women are under to perform, but the truth is we get to do something we love every day for a living. We play games.
Real pressure is working to save lives. Real pressure is going into work each day while putting your own personal safety on the line for the good of others.
Every day over the next weeks and months you and your colleagues will be asked to do that.
It’s an enormous responsibility that can only be carried out by the best kind of people: those who put the greater good ahead of all else.
As Blackcaps, we know how amazing it feels to have the support of a country behind you.
In that same vein, we need you to know you’re not alone. We want you to know that there’s a whole country behind you.
We will get through this and you are a big reason why.
