Kane Williamson registered his first ODI hundred in five years as the New Zealander went past Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar to become the second-fastest cricketer to reach 7000 runs in the 50-over format. Riding on Kane Williamson’s unbeaten 133, New Zealand defeated South Africa by six wickets in the second match of the Tri-Nation series to qualify for the final on Monday.
The last time Kane Williamson scored an ODI hundred was in 2019 against West Indies during the World Cup. With this hundred, the former New Zealand skipper also completed 7000 runs in 159 innings, to occupy the second spot in the list owned by South Africa’s Hashim Amla (150 innings). Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar took 161 and 189 innings respectively to reach the milestone.
Before Kane Williamson, the previous fastest batter from New Zealand to hit 7000 ODI runs was Martin Guptill (186 innings).
New Zealand win two in two
Chasing South Africa’s 304/6, New Zealand lost Will Young cheaply before Kane Williamson and Devon Conway came together to stitch 187 runs for the second wicket. While Kane Williamson reached his three figures in 72 balls, Devon Conway, replacing injured Rachin Ravindra, fell three runs short of a well-deserved hundred.
New Zealand eventually won the game with eight balls to spare. They will face the winner of Pakistan vs South Africa in the final on February 14. Earlier, Matthew Breetzke became the first man to hit 150 runs on ODI debut to power South Africa past 300-run mark.
Jamie Smith (41) and Wiaan Mulder (64) also chipped in for the Proteas. The Tri-Nation series is a part of the preparation for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 which starts on February 19.
New Zealand are placed in Group A alongside India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. South Africa are in Group B with England, Australia, and Afghanistan.
