Kane Williamson becomes fastest New Zealand batsman to score 7000 Test runs, notches up his fourth double hundred
The records keep tumbling for New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson. On Tuesday, he became the fastest New Zealand batsman to cross 7000 runs in Test matches.
Williamson achieved the feat in the second Test match against Pakistan, which is currently underway at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
The Kiwi skipper went past another former captain, Ross Taylor, to claim the record. While Taylor took 96 matches to score 7000 Test runs, Kane Williamson reached the milestone in only 83 matches, going past both Taylor and Stephen Fleming.
While Fleming finished his career with 7,172 runs in 111 Tests, Taylor, so far, has registered 7379 in 105 matches.
Meanwhile, Kane Williamson brought up the fourth double century of his Test career with a single off Shaheen Afridi in the 139th over of the innings.
The 30-year-old scored his 200 off 327 balls, including 24 fours.
Earlier, resuming Day 3 at 286/3, Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls featured in a 369-run partnership for the fourth wicket. The massive stand was broken when Mohammad Abbas got rid of Nicholls for 157 off 291 deliveries.
At the time of filing this report, New Zealand were 540 for 5 after 144 overs, a lead of 243 over Pakistan in the first innings.
Kane Williamson on a record-breaking spree
On Monday, Kane Williamson became the first international centurion of 2021 when he notched up his 24th Test hundred.
The Kiwi batsman’s hundred at Christchurch was his third consecutive ton in Test cricket. He had earlier scored 251 against West Indies at Hamilton and 129 at Mount Maunganui in the first Test against Pakistan.
With his century on Monday, Kane Williamson became the fourth New Zealander to notch up hundreds in three consecutive Tests, joining Mark Burgess (1969-72), Ross Taylor (2013) and Tom Latham (2018-19).
During the knock, Williamson also went past Stephen Fleming to claim the record for most fifty-plus scores by a New Zealand batsman in Test cricket.
While Fleming finished his Test career with 55 fifty-plus scores, Kane Williamson has 56, and counting.