New Zealand captain Kane Williamson on Tuesday became the 13th fastest batsman to complete 7000 Test runs during his marathon 238 against Pakistan in the ongoing 2nd Test in Christchurch.
Williamson joined an elite list of New Zealand players as he became only the third player from his country to achieve the feat after former skippers Ross Taylor (7379) and Stephen Fleming (7172). But Williamson reached the milestone before his predecessors, taking just 83 matches and 144 innings.
The 30-year-old followed up his century in the first Test by scoring his fourth double hundred in the format in this game at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. This was his second double hundred in just over a month after the 251 he scored against the West Indies in Hamilton on December 3 last year.
Williamson’s marathon innings ended just before the break when he played a tired shot and was caught by Shan Masood from the bowling of Faheem Ashraf. He had batted more than 9 1/2 hours, facing 364 balls and scored 28 boundaries.
New Zealand reached 599 for 6 at the second break, stretching their lead to 302 runs during the rain-affected session between lunch and tea.
The Blackcaps dominated largely due to the partnership between Williamson and Henry Nicholls which was worth 369 runs with the latter scoring 157, his 7th hundred in Test cricket. The fourth-wicket stand is the 3rd-highest for New Zealand for all wickets against all countries in the format.
