New Zealand veteran batter Kane Williamson has achieved a massive record in ODI cricket. The former Kiwi skipper slammed his fist ODI ton after five and a half years during his team’s clash against South Africa in the tri-series that also features Pakistan.
Williamson slammed 133* from 113 balls as he led his team to a clinical victory over the Proteas, helping them chase down 305 with six wickets in hand at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. With the victory, the Kiwis have also qualified for the final of the tri-series as they have two wins in two outings in the tri-series.
During his knock, Williamson also breached the 7000-run mark in ODI cricket. The former Kiwi skipper has created history as he has become the fastest New Zealand batter to reach 7000 ODI runs and second-fastest overall. Coming into the clash against the Proteas, Williamson had 6868 runs in 158 innings and needed 132 runs to breach the 7000 mark. He achieved the feat as he slammed a winning four to Senuran Muthusamy when one run was required for the win.
Notably, Williamson has surpassed Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, among others to become the second-fastest player to reach 7000 ODI runs. He took 159 innings to breach the mark, while Kohli and Tendulkar needed 161 and 189 innings, respectively to touch 7000 runs in the format.
Hashim Amla is on top of the tree as he got to his 7000 runs in just 150 innings. The previous fastest New Zealand player to hit 7000 ODI runs was Martin Guptill, who had got there in 186 outings.
Fastest players to 7000 ODI runs:
1 – Hashim Amla: 150 innings
2 – Kane Williamson: 159 innings
3 – Virat Kohli: 161 innings
4 – AB de Villiers: 166 innings
5 – Sourav Ganguly: 174 innings
New Zealand are now in the finals of the tri-series after their wins over Pakistan and South Africa. They had earlier defeated the Men in Green by 78 runs after defending 330 with ease. Now one of Pakistan or South Africa will qualify for the final as they face each other in the last match before the final.
The Proteas are currently in second place in the three-team table with an NRR of -0.249m, while the hosts are third with an NRR of -1.560.