Friday 26 / July / 2024
Christchurch: New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls on Tuesday scripted the third-highest partnership for the Kiwis in the longest format of the game. Williamson and Nicholls put on 359 runs for the fourth wicket in the second Test against Pakistan.
The stand is also the fourth-highest Test partnership against Pakistan for any country. It was also the first triple-century partnership by a Kiwi pair against Pakistan in the longest format of the game. Interestingly, Williamson broke his own record which he had stitched with BJ Watling against Sri Lanka in 2015 with a 365-run partnership.
Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe's 467-run stand for the third wicket against Sri Lanka in 1991 is still the highest partnership for a New Zealand pair. Williamson also became the fastest New Zealand batsman to register 7,000 runs in the longest format of the game.
New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor, who has scored the most runs for the Blackcaps in Test, had reached the landmark of 7,000 runs in 96 matches.
Williamson, on the other hand, took just 83 games and surpassed former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming and Taylor to become the fastest Kiwi batsman to reach the 7,000-run milestone.
Fleming scored 7,172 runs for the Black Caps in 111 Test while Taylor has scored 7,379 in 105 games respectively.
Williamson also hit a double ton on day three to give New Zealand firm control in the second Test.
Williamson played an innings of 238 as New Zealand declared on 659/6 -- a lead of 362 runs. Along with Williamson, Nicholls and Daryl Mitchell also played knocks of 157 and 102* respectively.
Pakistan had to bat out 11 overs before stumps and with Kyle Jamieson sending back Shan Masood (0) to the pavilion, the visitors ended the day on 8/1 -- trailing New Zealand by 354 runs.
With Pakistan finding themselves in a difficult position in the second Test against New Zealand, former pacer Shoaib Akhtar on Tuesday lambasted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for bringing in "average players" and said the team is playing "school-level" cricket.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls scripted the third-highest partnership for the Kiwis in the longest format of the game as the hosts completely dominated the Pakistan bowlers. "The policies of the Pakistan Cricket Board is seeing them get what they had sowed. They keep bringing and playing average players, and they keep making an average team and will continue to do average work and because of this, average results will keep coming," Akhtar said in a video he shared on Twitter.
"Whenever Pakistan will play Test cricket, they will be exposed. They are playing school-level cricket and the management has made them school-level cricketers. And now they are again thinking to change the management but when will you change?" he added.
