NZ vs ENG: Kane Williamson Becomes First New Zealander And 19th Overall to Complete 9000 Runs in Test History

Kane Williamson on Saturday (November 30) scripted history during the third day of the first Test against England as the star batter became the first New Zealand player to complete 9000 runs in the longest format.

Williamson achieved the feat en route to 61 in the second innings of the New Zealand innings at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The 34-year-old, who was already the country's leading run-getter in Test cricket, reached another landmark on his return to action from injury.

The right-handed batter had missed New Zealand's victorious tour to India in October, but has shown no form of rust on his return, scoring 91 in the first innings followed by another fifty in the second.

Williamson leads the run-scoring charts for New Zealand in Test cricket followed by Ross Taylor, who finished his career with 7683 runs. The other Black Caps in the top five are - former captains Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum as well as current captain Tom Latham.

Most Runs in Test Cricket For New Zealand

Kane Williamson - 9035 runs in 182 innings
Ross Taylor - 7683 runs in 196 innings
Stephen Fleming - 7172 runs in 189 innings
Brendon McCullum - 6453 runs in 176 innings
Tom Latham - 5711 in 154 innings

Apart from becoming the first New Zealander to reach the 9000-run milestone, Williamson became the 19th overall with India's Virat Kohli being the most recent to achieve the landmark in the longest format.

Also in the list for the current leading run-scorers in Test cricket features, Williamson and Kohli's other two rivals in the famous "big four" - England's Joe Root and Australia's Steve Smith. Here is a look at the current top run-getters in Test cricket:

Top run-scorers in Tests among active cricketers

Joe Root (England) - 12754 runs in 273 innings
Steve Smith (Australia) - 9702 runs in 197 innings
Virat Kohli (India) - 9145 runs in 203 innings
Kane Williamson (New Zealand) - 9035 runs in 182 innings
Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka) - 7966 runs in 204 innings

Coming back to the NZ vs ENG 1st Test, England won the toss and elected to field first. Williamson's 93 and a fighting 58 in 87 balls, with six fours and a six by Phillips, played a key role in taking the Kiwis to a total of 348 runs. Brydon Carse (4/64) and Shoaib Bashir (4/69) were the top wicket-takers for England.

Harry Brook's stupendous 171-run knock from 197 balls helped England to make a comeback in the first inning of the Christchurch Test. Ben Stokes played a supporting role with his 80-run knock from 146 balls in the first inning. Nathan Smith (3/141) and Matt Henry (4/84) led the Kiwi bowling attack as they bundled out the Three Lions at 499.

With the help of Kane Williamson (61) and Daryl Mitchell (31), New Zealand managed to take a four-run lead on Day 03. Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes led the English bowling attack on Saturday and put pressure on the hosts. At the end of Day 03, New Zealand was 155/6, with Daryl Mitchell (31*) and Nathan Smith (1*) unbeaten on the crease.