New Zealand and Sri Lanka are facing off in the second Test of their two-match series and the Kiwis have had a bright start to their name with former skipper Kane Williamson's impressive double century in Wellington on Day 2 on Saturday, March 18.
Williamson took 285 balls to bring up his sixth double-century in Test cricket. He did so with a brilliantly placed boundary off Dhananjaya de Silva's bowling. It was a brilliant innings for the star batter, who has been playing like a weight has been lifted off his back since giving up the captaincy of the national team.
This was his 28th and 3rd consecutive Test ton as the man from Tauranga reached the 8000 Test runs milestone as the 32-year-old returned to his very best form. He also now has one more double century than Joe Root (5), and one less than Virat Kohli
Williamson partnered with Henry Nicholls in a partnership that yielded 363 runs. The triple-century stand between Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls was the second of their career, making them the first New Zealand pair with two 300+ partnerships in men's Tests.
He did eventually lose his wicket after scoring 215 runs in 296 balls, with 23 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Nicholls also reached his double century off 240 balls, as the Kiwis declared immediately with the score reading 530/4 at the end of the 23rd over.
This was Nicholls' first double ton and in doing so, he also ensured that for the first time in his team's hi
The Kiwis were sent in to bat first after Sri Lanka's Dasun Shanaka won the toss and chose to bowl first. Tom Latham (21) went cheaply but Devon Conway stabilised the innings with his 78 runs off 108 balls. He was caught and bowled by Dhananjaya de Silva.
Day 1 had to be cut short after light issues affected the play with the Kiwis on 155 for 2 in 48 overs.
In the first match, New Zealand edged past their opponents to hand India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final. Defending champions New Zealand beat Sri Lanka in a Test that went down to the last ball at Hagley Oval, Christchurch. Kane Williamson’s century and Daryl Mitchell’s gutsy 81-run knock helped the hosts chase down the 285-run target in a game that went down to the wire and take a lead in the first of two-Test series.
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