Most runs for New Zealand in Test cricket
New Zealand has produced some of the world's best batters across generations. From Martin Crowe to Kane Williamson, the island nation's batters have never been short of class and elegance.
Williamson recently scored a Test hundred in an ongoing match against England. This made him the highest run-getter of all time for NZ in the format. On that note, here's a look at the 3 highest run-getters for New Zealand in Test cricket.
Kane Williamson passes Ross Taylor to become New Zealand's all-time leading Test run-scorer 👑 https://t.co/bNOHbGatHO
#1 Kane Williamson
Congratulations Kane for becoming NZ’s highest Test run-scorer. This achievement is a testament to your hard work and dedication to Test Cricket, of which I was privy to for a number of years. Here’s to many more 🍷
Former NZ captain Kane Williamson is now the highest run-getter of all time for the Kiwis in red-ball cricket. He currently stands at 7787 runs in 92 matches (161 innings) at a staggering average of 53.33.
Williamson made his Test debut against India in 2010 and scored a magnificent 131 against a quality Indian attack in Ahmedabad. Since then, he has scored 26 centuries and 33 half-centuries.
He is also New Zealand's most successful Test captain with 22 wins in 40 Tests. New Zealand won the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship, defeating India in the final in June 2021. Williamson was the highest run-getter in the game, scoring 49 & 52* to take his side home.
#2 Ross Taylor
Ross Taylor played 112 Tests (joint-highest with Daniel Vettori) and scored 7683 runs at an average of 44.66. He made his Test debut against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2007. He recently retired from international cricket after playing his last Test match against Bangladesh in January 2022 and his last ODI against the Netherlands in April 2022.
Taylor has scored 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries in 196 innings across a career spanning 15 years. His Test record is even more impressive when you consider that he played all 3 formats. He was the first player to play 100 matches in each format at the international level.
He was the perfect complement to Kane Williamson in the middle order. The duo were a massive part of New Zealand's success in Test cricket in the late 2010s. Taylor capped off his career with a major international trophy - the World Test Championship after defeating India in June 2021. He hit the winning runs and ended the country's 21-year-long trophy drought in ICC events.
#3 Stephen Fleming
On this day in 2003, New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming made 274* against Sri Lanka in Colombo. He batted nearly 11 hours (653 minutes) to bring up his career best Test score 🙌 https://t.co/Rq8x7FVzjk
Former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming was one of the most elegant left-handed batters of his time. He has scored 7172 runs at an average of 40.06 in 111 matches - making him the second most capped Test player for NZ.
Fleming was one of the most successful Kiwi captains of all time. He led the country in 80 Test matches, the third most in Test cricket. New Zealand won 28 matches, lost 27 matches and drew 25 matches during his captaincy tenure. He is currently the head coach of the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings.