Williamson lauds New Zealand steel in series win

Chirstchurch, April 3: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson hailed his batsmen's "steel" after they secured a draw in the second Test against England and won the series 1-0.

The tourists looked set to clinch victory on the final day in Christchurch, but Ish Sodhi and Neil Wagner dug in to hold England off until they ran out of time and light.

Sodhi ended 56 not out from 168 balls, while Wagner contributed an incredibly resilient seven off 103, with Williamson saluting the pair for their efforts.

"It was an amazing day of Test cricket," the Black Caps skipper said. "I want to thank Joe [Root] and his team - that was a really hard-fought series.

"We didn't get off to a great start but the guys showed a lot of steel. Ish Sodhi and Neil Wagner were just phenomenal."

And Sodhi was delighted to make a telling contribution, having bowled 16 wicketless overs for the Black Caps in the second Test.

"I'm rapt," he said. "There was a bit of drama at the end there but Waggy was really good there. He got me through those tough periods and kept me going.

"The whole time I was just thinking about playing as straight as I could. They started bowling bumpers around the wicket and I found them quite hard to pick up, so there were tough periods there, but once we got through that I think it was a pretty true wicket.

"I was disappointed with my performance with the ball so to be able to contribute is massive for me."

Source: OPTA