After bowling out Bangladesh for 310 at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in the first innings, New Zealand encountered batting difficulties on Day 2. The openers, Tom Latham (21) and Devon Conway (12), departed early. However, Kane Williamson once again displayed his reliability by scoring his 29th Test century, rescuing the Kiwis from a challenging situation.
Williamson's century equalled Indian cricket star Virat Kohli's record of 29 hundreds, placing them joint third among active players with the most Test centuries. Steve Smith (32 hundreds) and Joe Root (30 hundreds) lead this category, showcasing the dominance of the 'Fab Four'. Williamson also etched his name in history by becoming the first-ever New Zealand player to achieve the remarkable feat of scoring centuries in four consecutive Test matches. His streak began with a century against England, followed by two tons against Sri Lanka, culminating in this exceptional performance.
Williamson's brilliant innings prompted a wave of admiration on social media, particularly on X (Twitter), with fans celebrating his remarkable century. A user on X wrote, “No complaints, Just plays his part and goes without saying anything and that's Kane Williamson for you.”
Here are a few more of the reactions:
The pitch heavily favoured spin prompting Williamson to take some time to get the feel of the pitch. He reached the milestone after facing 189 deliveries. While Daryl Mitchell (41) and Glenn Phillips (42) provided decent support, they couldn't capitalise on their starts, attempting to take the attack to Bangladesh. Eventually, Williamson was dismissed for 104 by Taijul Islam in the 81st over, leaving New Zealand trailing by 44 runs at the end of Day 2.