WELLINGTON: Kane Williamson had a lean run behind him on Monday as he overtook New Zealand’s all-time Test run-scorer Ross Taylor.
Former captain Williamson raised his bat to a standing ovation from the Wellington crowd after reaching 29 not out on the fourth day of the second Test against England at Basin Reserve.
New Zealand started Monday trailing by 24 runs after England declared their first innings at 435 runs.
Williamson’s tally surpassed Taylor’s 7,683 runs last year when he retired.
Former Black Caps captain Stephen Fleming is third with 7,172 runs.
Williamson achieved the milestone in his 92nd Test and 161st innings — much faster than Taylor’s 112 Tests and 196 visits to the crease.
It will come as a relief to the technically proficient right-hander, who opened England’s two-match series and needed just 39 runs to achieve the record.
Williamson scored just 10 runs in his first three innings, part of a New Zealand top order that struggled against the English sevens attack.
The 32-year-old is 38th on the all-time Test leaderboard, with Indian great Sachin Tendulkar leading the way with 15,921 runs.
