Williamson The Key Wicket For Australia

Almost three months have passed, the format has changed and the ditch has been crossed but Kane Williamson remains the key wicket for Australia.

New Zealand wonder child Williamson scored terrific tons at the Gabba and WACA last year while totalling 428 runs in that trans-Tasman Test series.

Steve Smith and David Warner were among many Australians to marvel at Williamson's technique and just how comfortable the first drop looked.

Smith and Warner find themselves plotting Williamson's downfall again, with the two sides to meet in a three-match ODI series that starts in Auckland on Wednesday.

"We'll have a team chat ... if there's a plan that's obvious, no one's really found it," Australia paceman Kane Richardson said. "He seems to make runs everywhere he goes, even against us in Australia. It's just finding a way to limit the damage."

Williamson is coming off a knock of 84 against Pakistan at Eden Park, while he delivered NZ a one-wicket win over Australia at the same venue during last year's World Cup.

As was the case with India batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma last month, Richardson acknowledged there will be times when he must go into damage control against Williamson.

"That's a theme of world cricket now, just finding a way to stop them scoring as heavily as they are," the right-armer said.

"If you can't get them out early, you've just got to try and restrict what they do."

Black Caps icons Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe have already seen enough of Williamson to declare the 25-year-old will finish the nation's greatest batsman.

Williamson is also expected to lead New Zealand in all three formats when Brendon McCullum retires at the end of this month's trans-Tasman action.

McCullum is another top-order batsman that looms as a major threat in ODIs at Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton.

"Unfortunately Mitchell Starc is not here to knock him over first over like he did in the (2015 World Cup) final," Richardson said.

"We'll have to come up with another plan but I expect him to come really hard."

Richardson expected the crowd would also be on the attack, based on some tour tales from coach Darren Lehmann.

"Boof said when he played in Wellington he got a fish thrown at him, or a toilet seat or something," the South Australian said.

"So it'd be nice if that didn't happen.

"You're going to cop a bit (verbally) ... we've copped a bit already just being in the nets."

Radio Sport