Williamson ton lights up rain-hit day
New Zealand strengthened their position in the little play that was possible on the second day of the first Test in Auckland, reaching 229/4 in their first innings in reply to England’s 58.
Stumps were called early on a day when the players and the groundstaff took turns coming in and going out of Eden Park, but in the 23.1 overs of action, Kane Williamson completed his 18th Test century – the most by a New Zealander – and the hosts’ lead stretched to 171.
| Centuries | Batsman | Average | Highest |
| 18 | Kane Williamson | 51.11 | 242* |
| 17 | Martin Crowe | 45.36 | 299 |
| 17 | Ross Taylor | 47.83 | 290 |
| 12 | John Wright | 37.82 | 185 |
| 12 | Brendon McCullum | 38.64 | 302 |
Williamson and Henry Nicholls, the overnight batsmen, added 31 runs to the team’s tally on the second morning before Williamson was trapped lbw on 102 by James Anderson. By then, one of the rain breaks had already played out, before which Williamson had reached his century with a dab to gully off Anderson. He got to the mark off 196 balls, with 11 fours and a six.
Only 10 overs had been bowled before the interruption, and the break didn’t go well for New Zealand as Williamson’s long vigil ended soon after the resumption.
BJ Watling then joined hands with Nicholls and took New Zealand unscathed to 229/4 in 92.1 overs when another bout of rain – longer than the previous one – caused a four-hour delay and, despite the occasional bursts of hope, the eventual suspension of play. Nicholls was on 49 when the action for the day ended, one run short of a seventh 50-plus score in Test cricket, while Watling was unbeaten on 17.
The highlight of the day, of course, was Williamson, who surpassed Ross Taylor and Martin Crowe to become the New Zealand batsman to score 18 Test centuries. The New Zealand captain began his day with a crunching straight drive for four off Stuart Broad but was largely watchful, with the England bowlers using the conditions well.
After Williamson’s dismissal, Nicholls and Watling added 23 runs, scoring off the few bad balls that England gave away. Watling hit consecutive boundaries off Chris Woakes in the 89th over and then hit another four off Anderson in the next over.
To make up for the overs lost on day two, play will start 30 minutes earlier than scheduled on day three – at 13:30 local time instead of 14:00.
