Kane Williamson made history on Day 1 of the opening Test in Mount Maunganui, becoming the first New Zealand batsman to achieve 30 Test centuries. The right-handed batter reached this milestone in his 169th inning, marking his third century against South Africa and 17th at home in Test cricket.
Williamson’s century also propelled him past Ricky Ponting (170 innings) and Sunil Gavaskar (174 innings) in the top four list for 30 Test tons, placing him just behind Sachin Tendulkar (159 innings), Steve Smith (162 innings), and Matthew Hayden (167 innings) on the list.
Among active cricketers in Test cricket, only Steve Smith (32) has more centuries than Williamson. In New Zealand cricket history, no other batter has scored more than 19 Test centuries, with Ross Taylor trailing with 18.
With over 8,300 runs in Test cricket, Kane Williamson leads as the top run-scorer for New Zealand, followed by Ross Taylor with 7,683 runs in 112 Tests.
In the opening Test against South Africa, centuries from Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra helped New Zealand recover after early blows. Despite the early dismissals of Tom Latham and Devon Conway, New Zealand ended Day 1 at 258/2 after 86 overs. Williamson remained unbeaten on 112 off 259 balls, while Ravindra scored 118 not out off 211 deliveries, forming a formidable 219-run partnership to stabilize the hosts after a shaky start.
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