The legend of Kane Williamson grows. The New Zealand captain on Tuesday became the fifth New Zealand batter to score twin centuries in a Test, following century number 30 in the first innings with a 31st in the second. Williamson shepherded New Zealand’s second innings from the front, scoring 109 off 132 balls including 12 fours and a six to take the total to 179/4 and swell the lead to a daunting 528 against South Africa at stumps on Day 3.
Williamson, ranked as the No. 1 Test batter in the world, who scored 118 in the first innings, joined elite company featuring Glen Turner, Geoff Howarth, Andrew Jones and Peter Fulton. Williamson’s century takes his tally to six tons in last six Tests, making up for some crazy numbers. He is also now the joint second-fastest to reach 31 Test tons, tying with former Australia captain Steve Smith. The only one quicker is Sachin Tendulkar, whose 31st Test century took 165 innings.
“I think it’s only the (fifth) time in New Zealand history that a player has got two centuries in one match,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said. “So it’s pretty special to be part of. He’s been an incredible player for us and just keeps churning out the runs.”
Williamson climbs up
The magnitude of Williamson’s domination could be summed up by the fact that his last 10 Test innings now read 132, 1, 121*, 215, 104, 11, 13, 11, 118 and 109. He has also converted 10 out of his last 11 fifties into a century. Williamson also moves to fourth on the list of all-time leading century makers in international cricket among active cricketers. Led by Virat Kohli at 80, Williamson and Smith have 44 each, behind David Warner’s 49 and Joe Root and Rohit Sharma’s 46.
Williamson was much quicker this time around. On Day 1, he reached a century in 241 balls, and astonishingly, replicated the feat in just 125 balls today. New Zealand, opting not to enforce the follow-on, piled on runs but Williamson’s innings came to an end when he was stumped by Clyde Fortuin off Neil Brand while going for quick runs – only the third time in his 97 Test matches that Williamson had been dismissed in this manner.
Williamson’s red-hot form was summed up perfectly by Ian Bishop, who posted on X. “Kane Williamson, born to bat. Test century number 31.”