NZ vs SL: Kane Williamson enters elite list with 6th Test double ton, equals Sehwag, Ponting’s record

Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has landed in an elite company following his sixth double hundred in Tests. Against Sri Lanka in the ongoing second Test at the Basin Reserve, Kane scored a stunning 215 off 296 balls in the first innings – equalling records held by Virender Sehwag, Ricky Ponting, and Javed Miandad for most double hundreds in Tests.

Williamson found his Mojo back after his extended century-drought in international cricket lately. With a hundred in the previous Test and a double in this, the 32-year-old has returned to form, much to everyone’s delight inside the stadium.

Resuming day two on 26, Kane completed his 28th Test ton off 171 balls in the second session and then went onto notch his record sixth double century off 285 balls. Well-accompanied by Henry Nicholas on the other end, who also completed his double hundred remaining unbeaten on 200 off 240 balls, the pair stitched a 363-run stand for the third wicket. This also happened for the first in New Zealand’s Test history that two batters scored double hundreds in a single inning.

Meanwhile, a mammoth 363-run partnership also saw this pair join a legendary list of Mahela Jayawardene-Kumar Sangakkara, Don Bradman-Will Ponsford, Michael Clarke-Ricky Ponting, Mohammad Yousuf-Younis Khan, and Rahul Dravid-VVS Laxman – who have stitched together two 300 plus stands in Tests. However, pairs of Hashim Amla-Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs-Graeme Smith are the only ones to have three 300 plus partnerships in Tests.

One of the Fab Four, Kane departed when he tried to up the ante by taking the attack to the left-arm spinner, Prabath Jayasuriya, only to find the fielder underneath. Just after Henry completed his double hundred, Tim Southee declared the innings on 580 for four. As things stand, Sri Lanka, at stumps on day two, have lost wickets already on 26.