Fair point. I don't think you can argue that Baz wasn't one of the primary drivers of Wagnerball though. Williamson took that idea and gave it a more consistent run since it enabled him to avoid having to captain spinners.
I'm not being adversarial because I agree with a lot you've said, but I can absolutely see the argument. Wags didn't actually, on reflection, seem to get a charmed run under Baz and Hesson - interesting given his aggressive approach, and the fact he was an Otago person, too. I can't remember that period as I was overseas, but it seems as if Wags was far from an automatic selection, and that there was a level of distrust that his methods would work against strong sides like Australia.
But what I would say to what you're talking about, is that anything that worked under Kane was a progression from what was going on under Baz/Hesson. Kane is not a transformative leader. He would, and did, take the best parts of what was going well and developing under Baz, who was still in the side and still influential, and carried on with it. Kane's success needed to (for me) to build on what came before him. I believe he would not have worked coming in from Galle 2012, or earlier, and the mess that came about with that. Kane is not a natural leader of men, but he is intelligent enough to know that changing little things here and there, and setting a standard through preparation and performance was enough to take the side forward from 2015. Hesson was also obviously involved until 2018.
It all worked well enough until 2022 or so, when Gary Stead simply putting the cones out wasn't enough, senior players started to move on or become a divisive influence - or need to be moved on - and he didn't have the nous or power to pull it off.
