Kane Williamson during the New Zealand vs England 1st Test© AFP
Christchurch:
Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has scripted history after becoming the first Kiwi batter to complete 9,000 Test runs. The dependable batter achieved the feat on Saturday during the first Test against England at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Williamson, making his comeback after recovering from a groin injury that ruled him out of the India Test series, reached the milestone during New Zealand’s second innings on the third day of the match.
The 34-year-old completed the landmark figure in 103 Tests, making it the joint third-fastest alongside Kumar Sangakkara and Younis Khan to 9,000 Test runs. Australia’s Steve Smith is the fastest batter to reach the feat after touching the milestone in his 99th Test to surpass Brian Lara’s 101 Tests record.
In the second innings, Williamson contributed 61 runs after stitching two crucial partnerships with Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell before getting trapped in front of the wickets by Chris Woakes.
Earlier, Williamson scored 93 runs in his comeback knock and guided New Zealand to 348 in the first innings. Glenn Phillips remained unbeaten on 58* for the home side as Brydon Carse and Shoaib Bashir clinched four scalps each.
In reply, Harry Brook’s staggering knock of 171 along with captain Ben Stokes’ 80 and Ollie Pope’s 77 got England to 499, giving them an impressive 151-run lead.
At the time of filing this story, New Zealand were struggling at 155/6 in 48 overs with Daryl Mitchell and debutant Nathan Smith in the middle.
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