Stats highlights from the third day of the Test in Hamilton, where Kane Williamson led New Zealand’s response
Shiva Jayaraman27-Mar-201717 Test hundreds by Kane Williamson – joint-most by a New Zealand batsman alongside Martin Crowe. Williamson has taken ten innings fewer than Crowe, who hit his 17th century in his 120th innings.110 Innings taken by Williamson to complete 5000 Test runs; he is the fastest New Zealand batsman to the landmark. Crowe was the previous fastest: he got there in 117 innings. Click here for a list of the quickest batsmen overall to 5000 Test runs.0 Number of times before this New Zealand’s top-three batsmen had each made a fifty-plus score in a Test innings at home. This was also the first such instance for them in Tests against South Africa. Overall, this was only the eighth such instance for New Zealand anywhere in Tests. The previous one had come against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2016.2 Number of higher scores by New Zealand’s openers in Tests against South Africa than Raval’s 88 in this Test. Geoff Rabone’s 107 in Durban in 1953-54 is their only century in Tests against South Africa. Matt Horne’s 93 in Auckland in 1998-99 is the only other higher score.4 Number of higher partnerships for any wicket at the Seddon Park, Hamilton, than the 190-run stand between Raval and Williamson in this Test. For New Zealand, the 339-run stand between Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum against Bangladesh in 2009-10 is the only higher partnership at this venue. Craig McMillan and Mark Richardson had also put on 190 for the fifth wicket here against Bangladesh in 2001-02.136 Deliveries bowled at Williamson by South Africa pacers in this innings, only 14 of which were pitched on a good length outside the off stump. Williamson has been kept from scoring by South Africa pacers in this series when they have bowled in that area. Two of Williamson’s three dismissals in this series have come off such deliveries. Morne Morkel, who was the most expensive bowler against Williamson in this innings conceding 34 off just 39 balls, himself had dismissed Williamson caught behind in the Wellington Test off a similar line and length. While the New Zealand captain has had only three scoring shots off 54 balls by South Africa pacers off good-length balls pitching outside off so far in this series, he has been more prolific against them off deliveries not pitched in this area.
Balls pitching Balls Scoring Shots 4s/6s Runs SR Dis Avegood length, outside off 54 3 1 6 11.11 2 3.00other areas 260 71 20 161 61.92 1 161.00254 Deliveries faced by Raval in his innings of 88 – the fourth-highest by a New Zealand batsman in a Test innings against South Africa since latter’s readmission. Fleming’s 423-ball marathon in Cape Town in 2006 leads this list.2 Number of higher partnerships for any wicket for New Zealand in Tests against South Africa than the one between Raval and Williamson. The last time a New Zealand duo added more runs than this pair was in Cape Town in 2006, when Stephen Fleming and James Franklin had a partnership of 256 runs. The only other higher stand had come between Chris Cairns and Jacob Oram in Auckland in 2003-04, when they had added 225 runs for the seventh wicket.6 South Africa bowlers to take 250 or more wickets in Tests including Morne Morkel, who reached the milestone with the dismissal of Tom Latham. Among the other five, only Jacques Kallis had taken more Tests than Morkel to take 250 Test wickets. Kallis, who had to divide his attention between batting and bowling, took 120 matches to Morkel’s 74. Click here for a list of bowlers quickest to 250 Test wickets overall.
