Tag: Kane Williamson

LAHORE: Star batter Kane Williamson blazing century pips Breetzke’s record debut ton as New Zealand beat South Africa by 6 wickets to book a spot in the tri-nation ODI series final here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday.

The Blackcaps comprehensively chased the 305-run target on the loss of four wickets and eight balls remaining courtesy of 187 run stand between Devon Conway and Williamson.

New Zealand were off to a good start with their new opening pair Will Young and Conway adding 50 runs for the first wicket.

Young was out in the last over of the powerplay, scoring 19 runs off 31 balls.

After the first wicket, Williamson and Devon Conway kept South Africa’s bowlers at bay and formed a mammoth stand.

Conway departed in the nervous nineties off Junior Dala. His valiant knock of 97 on 107 balls included nine fours and one six.

After Devon Conway’s departure, South Africa was back in the game with two quick wickets of successive deliveries. Daryl Mitchell (10) and Tom Latham (0) were trapped by debutant Senuran Muthusamy’s spin bowling.

But Williamson stood firm at the other end and scored his 14th ODI century on 72 deliveries. He along with some notable contributions from Glenn Phillips (28), ensured that New Zealand convincingly chased the big total.

Kane Williamson remained unbeaten at the end of the chase. His marathon knock off 133 runs off 113 balls including 13 fours and two sixes.

This was also the stalwart’s first ODI hundred since the 2019 World Cup when he hit 148 against the West Indies at Manchester.

Earlier, South Africa posted 304-6 in their 50 overs after being invited to bat first, with Breetzke scoring 150 runs in his first One Day International match for the Proteas.

Breetzke also broke the record for the highest score in debut innings. His 150 is now the highest score ever by a debutant in ODIs.

New Zealand made their first breakthrough in the seventh over when Will O’Rourke dismissed the South African skipper Temba Bavuma on 20 runs.

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Following the wicket, Jason Smith and Breetzke added 93 for the second wicket. Smith perished, run out on 41 with his innings including two sixes and one four. Soon after, wicket-keeper batter Kyle Verreynne departed for one run courtesy of good bowling from off-spinner Michael Bracewell.

However, it was the fourth-wicket partnership between Wiaan Mulder and Matthew Breetzke that drove South Africa into a commanding position. The duo added 131 runs for this wicket.

The debutant departed on 150 runs after playing a brilliant knock which included five sixes and 11 fours while on the other end, Mulder stood firm and amassed 64 runs on 60 balls.

Wiaan Mulder hit five fours and one six in his innings.

Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke bagged two wickets apiece in their ten overs while Bracewell also chipped in with one wicket.

South Africa named four debutants in their playing eleven against New Zealand as their premier players were involved in a T20 League back home.

New Zealand brought in opener Devon Conway for Rachin Ravindra, who took a blow to his head during the fielding in the tri-nation series opening match against Pakistan.

Playing XIs

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Jason Smith, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Mihlali Mpongwana, Senuran Muthusamy, Eathan Bosch, Junior Dala, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi.

New Zealand: Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Ben Sears, Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke.

READ: Champions Trophy: South Africa call up all-rounder as Anrich Nortje’s replacement

Kane Williamson has made history by becoming the first batter from New Zealand to score 9,000 runs in Test cricket. Moreover, he reached this milestone faster than some of the greatest Test batters, including Younis Khan and Virat Kohli.

Williamson achieved the historic milestone during the second innings of the ongoing first Test of the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy against England in Christchurch. The former New Zealand captain played a gutsy 61-run knock before he fell prey to Chris Woakes on Day 3.

He took 182 innings to reach the milestone, becoming the eighth quickest to score 9000 runs in Test cricket.

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In doing so, he surpassed many greats of the game, including Younis Khan, who took 184 innings, while current batters Joe Root and Virat Kohli, reached the landmark in 196 and 197 innings respectively.

Steve Smith is the only active batter who scored 9000 runs in fewer innings than Williamson, reaching it in 174 innings. Meanwhile, legendary Sri Lankan batter Kumar Sangakkara holds the record for being the fastest to the milestone with 172 innings.

It’s worth noting that Kane Williamson is New Zealand’s highest run-scorer of all-time, followed by Ross Taylor, who scored 7683 runs.

Fastest to 9000 runs in Test cricket

• Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) — 172
• Steve Smith (Australia) — 174
• Rahul Dravid (India) — 176
• Brian Lara (West Indies) — 177
• Ricky Ponting (Australia) — 177
• Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) — 178
• Sachin Tendulkar (India) — 179
• Kane Williamson (New Zealand) — 182

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England captured the vital wicket of Kane Williamson for 93 in a dramatic five-wicket final session to leave New Zealand 319-8 after day one of the first Test of the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy in Christchurch on Thursday.

The hosts went to tea at a healthy 193-3 and slumped to 252-7 before Glenn Phillips (41 not out) and Matt Henry (18) halted the collapse with a spirited 46-run stand for the eighth wicket.

Shoaib Bashir, the only specialist spinner in the Test, was England’s chief destroyer with 4-69.

“It’s a good, fair surface,” Williamson said. “On a surface like that you ride a bit of luck and I played and missed a bit, that’s just the nature of the beast.”

The 21-year-old Bashir did not expect to be bowling on day one and was surprised to find himself facing Williamson, New Zealand’s greatest Test run-scorer.

“Obviously he’s a world-class player and for me, bowling to someone like him, I was just in awe watching Kane Williamson bat,” Bashir said.

“I bowled plenty of bad balls out there but I was still kept on and that shows how much faith they (management) have in me.”

Former skipper Kane Williamson looked on track to put New Zealand into a dominant position after joining Tom Latham in the middle when they lost opener Devon Conway in the second over.

He faced 14 deliveries before getting off the mark and went on to anchor 50-run partnerships with Latham, Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell.

Williamson was instrumental in getting them to 227-4 before he was undone attempting a cut shot that went to Zac Crawley at point to give Gus Atkinson his second wicket.

England had started the Test with a roar, winning the toss and inviting New Zealand to bat on a green top, having Atkinson remove Conway almost immediately.

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But for the rest of the first two sessions, the composed Williamson swung the momentum back to New Zealand.

He was unfazed when twice struck on the helmet by Brydon Carse and survived a vociferous appeal on 51 for caught behind when replays showed the ball hit the thigh pad and not the bat.

Williamson, who hit 10 fours, faced 197 deliveries in 274 minutes with temperatures hovering around 30 Celsius before being dismissed in the 90s for the first time in six years.

In Williamson’s previous 13 innings where he scored at least 90, the prolific batsman had gone on to register eight hundred and five double centuries.

With moisture in the ground causing the England bowlers some early problems with their delivery stride, Latham punished every loose ball that came along.

But he had a lapse of concentration in the first over after the morning drinks break and he was caught behind off Carse for 47.

Ravindra took on the aggressor role as he and Williamson added 68 for the third wicket before Ravindra clumsily mis-hit a loose full toss from Bashir and was gone for 34.

Mitchell accompanied Williamson through to tea but went for 19 in the second over after play resumed.

The wickets of Williamson, Tom Blundell (17) and debutant Nathan Smith (three) quickly followed as New Zealand slumped to 252-7.

Henry added a brisk 18, leaving Phillips and Tim Southee (10) to see out the day.

England debutant, 21-year-old Jacob Bethell, bowled one over of left-arm spin with his first Test delivery dispatched to the boundary by former New Zealand captain Williamson.

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Prolific New Zealand batter Kane Williamson has been included in the Test squad to face England after missing their recent 3-0 sweep in India with a groin injury.

The former skipper will once again team up with veteran seamer Tim Southee, who will retire from Test cricket after the three series starting in Christchurch on November 28.

Williamson has scored 8881 runs from 102 matches, the most by any batter from New Zealand, at an average of 54.48.

The Black Caps called up bowling all-rounder Nathan Smith for the first time while uncapped quick Jacob Duffy was also included in the squad.

But Ajaz Patel, who claimed 15 wickets against India, was surprisingly overlooked with Mitchell Santner the spin option, backed up by Glenn Phillips.

Meanwhile, Ben Sears and Kyle Jamieson were not considered owing to their knee and back injuries respectively.

“It’s obviously a big series for the side in terms of the World Test Championship [WTC] and to also now be farewelling someone like Tim Southee only raises it up further,” said Black Caps selector Sam Wells.

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The triumph in India propelled New Zealand back into contention for next year’s World Test Championship final, but even a whitewash of England would not guarantee it.

Ben Stokes’ England suffered a 2-1 defeat in Pakistan last month.

“It’s also an exciting time for Nathan to be brought into the Test squad for the first time,” added Wells.

“Nathan is an exciting talent with a proven first-class record and I’m sure he will bring a lot of skill and energy to the group.”

Wells admitted it was tough to leave out Patel, but the decision was made given the expected home conditions and Santner’s recent Test form.

The Black Caps are again led by Tom Latham, who took over from Southee last month and led them to what he called one of New Zealand’s “greatest series wins” in India.

Following the Christchurch Test, the series moves to Wellington and then Hamilton for Southee’s last hurrah.

New Zealand Test squad for England series

Tom Latham (capt), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Will Young

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Prolific New Zealand batter Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the second Test against India, which begins in Pune on October 24, as he continues to recover from a groin strain.

The former captain was included in the tour squad, but delayed his departure and missed the first Test in Bengaluru, which New Zealand won by eight wickets.

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said in a statement that Williamson was making progress, but was still not ready.

“We’re monitoring Kane and he’s tracking in the right direction but isn’t yet 100% fit,” he said.

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“We’re hopeful to see further improvement over the coming days and have him available for the third Test.”

“We’ll give him as much time as possible to get himself ready, but certainly continue to take a cautious approach.”

Williamson, who is New Zealand’s greatest Test run-scorer, experienced groin discomfort during the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle last month.

New Zealand Squad for India Tests

Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell (first Test only), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi (second and third Tests only), Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Will Young

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New Zealand Cricket (NZC) named star batter Kane Williamson in the squad for the upcoming tour of India on Wednesday, despite a lingering groin injury likely ruling him out for at least the first of three Tests.

Williamson will delay travelling to India while he continues treatment for the injury, which he suffered during last month’s series defeat in Sri Lanka.

Although the former captain is unlikely to play the first Test in Bengaluru on October 16, selector Sam Wells said he was “hopeful” the 34-year-old would return later in the series.

“The advice we’ve received is that the best course of action is for Kane to rest and rehabilitate now rather than risk aggravating the injury,” Wells said in a New Zealand Cricket statement.

“We’re hopeful that if the rehabilitation goes to plan, Kane will be available for the latter part of the tour.”

Williamson experienced groin discomfort during the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle as New Zealand slumped to a 2-0 series whitewash.

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Uncapped batsman Mark Chapman has been added to the 16-man squad as cover for Williamson, who is New Zealand’s greatest Test run-scorer, with 8881 runs from 102 matches at an average of 54.48.

His absence would be a major blow for New Zealand’s hopes against India, who have won their last 18 Test series on home soil.

The squad will be led by Tom Latham after Tim Southee stood down as captain following the heavy defeat in Sri Lanka.

Spinning allrounder Michael Bracewell is available for the first Test but will then return home for the birth of his child. He will be replaced by legspinner Ish Sodhi for the remaining matches in Pune and Mumbai.

New Zealand Squad for India Tests

Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell (first Test only), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi (second and third Tests only), Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Will Young

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Half-centuries from Tom Latham and Kane Williamson put New Zealand at 255-4 and in hot pursuit of Sri Lanka on day two of the first Test on Thursday.

The Black Caps trailed by 50 at stumps in Galle with Daryl Mitchell (41) and Tom Blundell (18) to resume in the morning.

No New Zealander has scored a Test century in Galle and both Williamson and Latham looked set to end that drought before falling against the run of play.

Their 73-run partnership steadied the reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings of 305 but ended when Latham fell before tea for 55, top-edging a sweep shot that was caught at backward square leg.

World number two batter Willamson departed in the final session for 70 while trying to work Dhananjaya de Silva on the leg-side for a single, caught by wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis.

Aggressive sweep shots from New Zealand foiled a concerted Sri Lanka spin attack and forced the hosts to spread the field.

It countered New Zealand’s usual vulnerability to spinners at Galle, where the tourists have lost all four of their prior Test matches played there.

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De Silva had a second wicket when he bowled Rachin Ravindra, finishing 2-31 in an otherwise lacklustre day for the hosts.

Fewer than five overs were played in a morning session delayed by rain.

Sri Lanka belatedly resumed their first innings from 302-7 overnight but lost all three remaining wickets for just three runs.

Rookie New Zealand fast bowler William O’Rourke took 5-55, his second five-wicket haul in just three Tests since his February debut against South Africa.

That home series saw him take 9-93, the best match figures for a debutant Kiwi bowler.

A groin injury ruled the 23-year-old O’Rourke out of the following series against Australia and his selection ahead of the more experienced Matt Henry had been a surprise.

But he vindicated selectors by delivering consistent speeds above 145 kilometres (90 miles) per hour to carve through the Sri Lankan top order on day one.

A century by Kamindu Mendis, his fourth from seven Test appearances, rescued Sri Lanka from 178-5.

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New Zealand’s Kane Williamson admits he is a big fan of “phenomenal” Joe Root, believing England’s top-ranked Test batsman will break many more records.

New Zealand will begin their South Asia tour against Afghanistan in a one-off Test near New Delhi on Monday, ahead of two Tests in Sri Lanka and three more in India.

Williamson is one of the current generation of leading Test batsmen alongside Root, Virat Kohli of India and Australia’s Steve Smith, who were dubbed the “Fab Four” by late New Zealand great Martin Crowe.

“(Root) has been phenomenal, and I’m obviously a big fan of his,” 34-year-old Williamson told reporters at the Greater Noida ground on Saturday, the venue for the Afghanistan clash.

“I’ve enjoyed watching not just him, but obviously those other guys,” he said, referring to Kohli and Smith.

He called all three “amazing players” that have “moved the game forward in a big way”.

Root has been among the runs lately, in contrast to the dipping form of Kohli and Smith.

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The former England captain Joe Root has been in blazing form in recent weeks, scoring three centuries and three fifties in five home Tests, including hundreds in both innings against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.

Root scored his 34th Test century in the process to go past Alastair Cook’s previous England record of 33 tons and now stands in seventh spot on the list of the all-time run-scorers with 12,390 runs.

India, batting great Sachin Tendulkar, tops the chart with 15,921 runs and 51 centuries in a glittering 200-Test career that ended in 2013.

Kane Williamson said Root, who is only 33 years old and has played 146 Tests, has the potential to surpass Tendulkar.

“There is a lot of attention on what he might achieve in the years to come,” he said.

New Zealand will be playing their first Test in six months when they take on Afghanistan, but Williamson said he felt confident.

“Playing for my country, for my team, makes me perform on the field,” he said, adding he was “very excited” to play six away Tests which will count towards the World Test Championship.

“In some ways, it’s like a tournament sport, even though it’s over a long period”, he said.

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Right-handed experienced batter Kane Williamson shook the cricket fraternity on Wednesday as he stepped down as New Zealand’s white-ball captain following the team’s poor run in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Besides relinquishing captaincy, Williamson also declined New Zealand’s central contract in “an effort to prolong his international career”.

The announcement came a day after the conclusion of New Zealand’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, where they were eliminated in the group stages for the first time since 2014.

The 2021 finalists suffered gut-wrenching defeats against the West Indies and Afghanistan, the two teams that advanced to Super Eight from Group C.

Meanwhile, Kane Williamson reiterated his dedication to represent New Zealand at the international level and expressed his willingness to participate in eight World Test Championship (WTC) matches in the coming months and the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan next year.

Williamson, however, shared that he is open to exploring the possibility of accepting New Zealand central contract in future.

“Helping push the team forward across the formats is something I’m very passionate about and something I want to keep contributing towards,” Kane said

“However, pursuing an overseas opportunity during the New Zealand summer means I’m unable to accept a central contract offer.

“Playing for New Zealand is something I treasure, and my desire to give back to the team remains undiminished.

“My life outside cricket has changed however – spending more time with my family and enjoying experiences with them at home or abroad is something that’s even more important to me.”

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New Zealand Cricket (NZC) CEO Scott Weenink responded to Kane Williamson’s decision and stated that the experienced cricketer deserved the chance to take a break.

“This is a good way to help keep Kane in the international game so that he continues to play a major role for the BLACKCAPS – both now and in the years to come,” said Mr. Weenink.

“We have very little international cricket in New Zealand through January and outside that period he’s still available for the BLACKCAPS.

“NZC has a strong preference to select centrally contracted players for the BLACKCAPS, however we’re happy to make an exception for our greatest ever batter – especially as he remains so committed to the team.

“I know it sounds a bit counterintuitive, but I’m very encouraged by this development.”

For the unversed, Kane Williamson assumed New Zealand’s captaincy in 2016 and led the side in 202 matches across formats, winning 105 out of them.

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SYLHET: Kane Williamson struck a defiant century Wednesday but could not put New Zealand in control in the first Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet.

The visitors reached 266-8 at stumps on the second day, still trailing Bangladesh by 44 runs in the first innings.

Williamson hit 104 off 205 balls in his 29th Test century with 11 fours, before Taijul Islam broke through his defence to bowl out the right-hander.

“I mean, you just see all around the world, he’s amazing and how he sort of works out different attacks, different sort of ways people are trying to get him out, different surfaces,” New Zealand coach Luke Ronchi said in praise of Kane Williamson.

“So to be able to do it the way he does and the calmness he shows in situations is awesome,” Ronchi added. “He’s done it a lot, but a lot of our young guys can see how he does it.”

Taijul was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers with 4-89, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Shoriful Islam and Mominul Haque claimed one wicket apiece.

“I think the spinners bowled well. We could have created some more pressure. We took eight wickets in the end, so it is a good day for us,” Bangladesh spin coach Rangana Herath said.

Herath praised Taijul for bringing his wealth of experience to the fore.

“Taijul is always helping the attack. He is our leading spinner. He created a lot of pressure,” said Herath.

“He created a lot of angles. He has great experience, knowledge and understanding. I am so happy that he took four wickets today.”

Glenn Phillips scored 42 runs to boost Williamson in their 78-run sixth-wicket partnership — which dug the visitors out of a hole after they lost the top half of their batting order for 175 runs.

Occasional left-arm spinner Mominul forced Phillips to give a catch at slip, ending their partnership.

Kane Williamson took a single off Nayeem to complete his hundred off 189 balls, drawing him level with Don Bradman and Virat Kohli in terms of Test centuries.

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Ronchi remained confident of New Zealand’s tail wagging.

“We’ve still got two wickets in hand and hopefully tomorrow morning we come back,” he said.

“And the guys left can put some more runs on the board and get us closer to the Bangladesh score, definitely.”

Taijul redeemed himself for dropping Williamson at midwicket on 63 by taking the wicket of the former New Zealand captain and Ish Sodhi (0) in successive overs.

Daryl Mitchell earlier rode his luck to reach 41 before he was stumped by Nurul Hasan, off Taijul’s bowling.

Mitchell, who put on 66 runs with Williamson for the fourth wicket, had nicked pacer Shoriful while batting on four.

But Bangladesh did not review the caught-behind appeal, which was turned down by the on-field umpire.

New Zealand bowled out Bangladesh for 310 on the first ball of the morning when Tim Southee trapped last man Shoriful leg-before for 13.

The Black Caps then got off to a fast start, the first three balls yielding 10 runs.

Bangladesh’s spinners slowly took control to check the initial batting surge.

Taijul dismissed Tom Latham for 21, Nayeem taking the catch at fine leg.

Fellow opener Devon Conway fell to off-spinner Mehidy two overs later after making 12.

Debutant Shahadat Hossain took a brilliant one-handed catch, diving to his right at silly point after an inside edge hit Conway’s pad and popped up to the fielder.

Shoriful dismissed Henry Nicholls for 19 after lunch to leave New Zealand struggling at 98-3.

The two-match series between New Zealand and Bangladesh is the beginning of a new cycle in the World Test Championship for both teams.

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