New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson etched his name in record books after he surpassed former teammate Ross Taylor to become the highest run-getter for the Black Caps in Test cricket. Williamson went past Taylor’s tally of 7683 Test runs early on the Day 4 of the second Test against England at Basin Reserve in Wellington.
Williamson reached the special milestone in trademark style, flicking a James Anderson delivery off his toes to the boundary. Notably, New Zealand were forced to follow on after being packed for just 209 in their first innings, but Williamson’s gutsy century kept the hosts well and truly alive in the contest.
Most runs in Tests for New Zealand:
- 7787* – Kane Williamson
- 7683 – Ross Taylor
- 7172 – Stephen Fleming
- 6453 – Brendon McCullum
- 5444 – Martin Crowe
The stylish right-handed batter pulled out the home team from trouble before eventually getting dismissed for 132. During his tremendous knock, Williamson smashed 12 boundaries. Apart from the Black Caps skipper, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell also provided healthy contributions with the bat as New Zealand managed to post 483/10 on the board in their second innings.
While Mitchell scored 54 with the help of five fours and a six, Blundell made 90 from 166 deliveries, including nine boundaries. Earlier, Tom Latham (83 off 172) and Devon Conway (61 off 155) gave New Zealand a solid start and added 149 runs for the opening wicket.
For England, spinner Jack Leach was the pick of the bowlers, claiming a brilliant five-wicket haul (5/157) in 61.3 overs, including 12 maidens. The tourists, in response to the target of 258 to win the second and final Test, have scored 48 in 11 overs at stumps on Day 4. The English team now have one day left and need 210 runs to register a clean sweep over the hosts.
England won the opening Test held at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui by 267 runs.
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