Kane Williamson struck twin centuries against South Africa in Mount Maunganui to further strengthen his enviable Test record and make New Zealand emphatic favourites to go 1-0 in the series.
Williamson’s 31st hundred places him ninth on the all-time Test hundred list. This is by far the best of any New Zealand player (the next best is his 19). He is currently only one behind Steve Smith among active Test players with centuries.
He is jointly tied with Smith (170 innings) for fastest with 31 Tests. Sachin Tendulkar scored his 165 points.
Two centuries in the same Test
Williamson’s second century at Bay Oval was 92. It is the first time in two centuries that batsmen have scored in the same men’s Test, and the first for New Zealand since Peter Fulton in 2013. Overall, he is only the fifth New Zealander to achieve this feat.
At Stamps on the third day, the hosts took 179 for 4 in the first innings to extend their lead to over 500, with Williamson dismissed for 132 off 109. He was dismissed by South Africa captain Neil Brand, which was the second time he had been dismissed in this way in consecutive Test appearances.
In the first innings, Williamson scored 118 runs, clearly higher than the headliner Rachin Ravindra’s 240 runs. Currently, New Zealand leads with 528 points behind him.
Champion at home
Williamson’s test numbers are extraordinary. With nearly 8,500 runs and a career average of 55, he’s already a great player, but it’s his dominance at home that really sets his stats apart.
At home, Williamson is averaging an impressive 68.09 points per 75 innings. Williamson’s average is the highest ever among players who have played that many innings at home. Garry Sobers is second best with an average of 66.80 in the same innings. As for the home century (18th century), he is currently tied for sixth place with Don Bradman on the overall list.
His batting average on the road (including neutral sites) is 45.50 per 95 innings.
Williamson has scored two double centuries and four centuries in his last 10 home innings against Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka and South Africa.
A second century for Kane Williamson! He becomes the fifth New Zealand player to record two hundreds in the same Test. 👏@BLACKCAPS v South Africa: 1st Test | LIVE on DUKE and TVNZ+ pic.twitter.com/dOHYOBkMpQ
– TVNZ+ (@TVNZ) 6 2024 February 2
Blazing recent form
In Tests since the start of 2020, he has scored 10 centuries and two fifties in 33 innings, averaging 70.36 runs. Of all the players of this era, only Williamson and Root had more than ten centuries, with Williamson hitting just over a third of his innings. Seven of those innings have come in his 20 innings since entering 2022.
His last 10 innings were: 132, 1, 121*, 215, 104, 11, 13, 11, 118, 109
He has performed well in recent years despite being absent due to several injuries. He was sidelined for nearly six months last year with a cruciate ligament injury and then missed part of the 2023 World Cup with a thumb injury. Previously, a lingering elbow injury disrupted 2021 and his 2022.
The 33-year-old is healthy and in top form again and continues to reach new heights.
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