New Zealand Ends 92 Years Wait to Witness their First Ever Victory Against South Africa

New-Zealand-Clinches-Dominant-281-Run-Victory-Over-South-Africa-in-First-Test

Kiwis hadn't defeated Proteas in 17 previous Test series dating back to 1931

Vishal Singh Feb. 16, 2024

History created not repeated -

Kane Williamson's century on Friday helped New Zealand win a Test series against South Africa for the first time, as they defeated them by 7 wickets in the second Test.
In the fourth innings of a close Test match in Hamilton, Williamson's unbeaten 133 was the driving force behind their 269-3 victory, completing a 2-0 series victory against the tourists.

Since 1931, the Black Caps had lost 13 and drawn 4 Test series against the Proteas before winning one.

As New Zealand completed their target of 267 late on day four, Williamson was calm and patient during a 260-ball stay, putting on an uninterrupted partnership of 152 with Will Young, who hit 60 not out.


Williamson in GodLike form & Fastest to score 32 centuries -

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Williamson, who is now in great form, has scored 7 centuries in 7 Test matches, including two tons in the first Test victory at Mount Maunganui, which he won by 281 runs.

His 32 centuries have come from 172 innings, making him the fastest player in Test history to reach that milestone, beating Australia's Steve Smith (174 innings).

Williamson batted through the day after New Zealand resumed at 40-1. The 33-year-old adopted a disciplined approach on a tricky pitch but was always prepared to punish loose deliveries, scoring 12 fours and 2 sixes.

"It was very much a patience game and both teams were aware of that," Williamson said.
"It was just about trying to put the ball in the right area for long periods with the ball and as batters we were sticking our toes in. It was a bit of old-school Test cricket I suppose.
"Credit to South Africa, certainly for the first couple of days they out-played us. We had to fight hard to get out of that position and change the momentum."

Hard-work of the Kiwis proved to be fruitful -

On his Test debut, Will O'Rourke, a seamer from New Zealand, finished with 9 wickets to win man-of-the-match; Williamson was chosen player of the series. After opener Tom Latham was out for 30 in the opening session and Rachin Ravindra was out for 20 shortly after lunch, New Zealand faltered for a little while, but Young persevered to score his sixth half-century.


Piedt, an offspinner, removed Latham at the first opportunity, with Zubayr Hamza catching the opener after he had added nine runs to his score the previous night.

Overall, Most of South Africa's the first-choice players, who chose to compete in their lucrative domestic T20 league instead of the series, were not included in the team.

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