Eng vs NZ: Kane Williamson's 3 best knocks against Joe Root & Co
Ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) against India, Kane Williamson and his men take on England in a two-Test series. All eyes will be on the Kiwi skipper as he marshals his troops against a formidable English attack.
Williamson is ranked first in the ICC Test Batsman Rankings for a reason. The 30-year-old has stacked up 7115 runs from 83 Tests at an average of 54.31.
The Kiwi has enjoyed a good run with the bat against England, scoring 743 runs in 11 matches. As we wait for the two sides to clash on June 2, we take a look at some of Williamson's best knocks against the side.
#1 2015: Kane Williamson's 132 at Lord's
Put into bat, England managed a tough 389 in their first innings, but it was Kane Williamson's patient 132 that saw the visitors respond with a mammoth 523. Martin Guptill (70), Tom Latham (59), Ross Taylor (62), Brendon McCullum (42) and BJ Watling (61*) played key knocks to give the side a upper hand.
In response, England made 478, riding on knocks from Alastair Cook (162) and Ben Stokes (101) setting the Kiwis a target of 345. Stokes returned to cause some damage with the ball with a three-wicket haul, as NZ were bundled out for 220 handing England a 124-run win.
Williamson's first innings knock, though, was a blend of flair and scintillating strokeplay.
#2 2018: 102 at Eden Park
It was a paltry innings for England after Trent Boult (6/32) and Tim Southee (4/25) ran through the batting order to skittle them out for 58. Williamson's 102 and Henry Nicholls's unbeaten 145 saw NZ make 427 in reply.
England's batting failed to get going again. They managed 320 with four of their players getting fifties, but it wasn't enough to cross NZ's total.
The end result was a massive New Zealand win by an innings and 49 runs.
#3 2019: Kane Williamson's 104* at Seddon Park
It was a batting fest at Seddon Park. New Zealand were put into bat and were buoyed by knocks from Latham (105), Taylor (53), Watling (55) and Daryl Mitchell (73) to score 375 in the first innings. England replied with a healthy 476, courtesy of Root's double-century.
The second innings saw Williamson fight back with an unbeaten 104 that had fluency written all over it. He had company in Taylor who slammed an unbeaten 105 as the match ended in a draw.