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Catch any Black Caps game and you’ll see a handful of fans wearing white sailor captain hats with the words Steady The Ship, a tribute to Black Caps patron Kane Williamson.
Rarely has that moniker been more appropriate than on the second day of Test 2 against Pakistan, Williamson stabilized the ship in classic fashion and then launched the full range of his arsenal in an onslaught of weary tourists as he moved into a century of evidence 24. and first at Hagley Oval.
John Davidson / AP
Kane Williamson of New Zealand and Henry Nicholls, right, gesture during the game on the second day of the second test of cricket between Pakistan and New Zealand at Hagley Oval.
And, along with local hero Henry Nicholls, Williamson turned a precarious position into a dominant position in Christchurch.
By stumps, New Zealand had reached 286-3 in response to 297 compiled by Pakistan on the first day, a solid position achieved through a great deal of hard work and a slice of good fortune.
Kai Schwoerer / Getty Images
Kane Williamson in action on the second day of the second test between New Zealand and Pakistan at Hagley Oval.
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Williamson was undefeated at 112 and Nicholls 89, the pair combined for a 215-run undefeated partnership for the fourth wicket.
The good luck came in the form of great relief from Pakistan, which could turn out to be a major turning point in three days.
Also, with the hosts struggling shortly after lunch, Shaheen Shah Afridi seemed to have reduced them further in the mud at 74-4 when Nicholls, at just three, gave Mohammad Rizwan a step behind the stumps.
Kai Schwoerer / Getty Images
Shaheen Shah Afridi’s initial excitement turned to despair as replays showed that the ball he sent off Henry Nicholls was a no-ball.
But the euphoria turned to devastation when outfield referee Chris Brown learned that Shaheen had overreached. No ball, no window and no breakthrough for the rest of the day, as they were made to pay the maximum.
They didn’t help themselves later in the day either, with Shan Masood knocking down Williamson on the slide at 82 and down the ravine at 107, and goalkeeper Mohammad Rizwan put a direct Nicholls shot down when at 86, though they were unfortunate that Williamson did not run out, also at 107, when he made his ground for a single frame.
After negotiating a post-lunch test spell from Shaheen, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah and Faheem Ashraf, with just 30 runs scored in 14 tight overs, Williamson and Nicholls were able to thrive on the introduction of a couple of part-time bowlers. before tea. , and then in the third session with the rhythm attack having lost some speed.
The captain hit some through the blankets and the ground, and cut out some of his pads, and soon he had compiled half a century without giving Pakistan a whiff.
The eleventh test of Nicholls 50 followed shortly after. By the third session, the ramp shot and reverse sweep had come out of the bag and gone.
The Black Caps racked up 143 runs in the final session, taking advantage of the graft from the first two sessions when Pakistani bowlers constantly challenged and provided very little loose stuff to hold on to.
Noting how quickly they advanced on the scoreboard, Williamson took 105 balls to score his first 50, but only 35 balls to go between 50 and 100, sending his ton up with a clean leg look on the 15th of its 16 limits. It was his third hundred in his last three tests.
One on Naseem was particularly memorable, as Williamson went from 82 to 94 with two beautifully timed shots through the midwicket for four and then an exquisite on drive.
Earlier, starters Tom Blundell and Tom Latham safely traded the first 90 minutes of the day, but both succumbed before lunch.
Blundell was caught up front by Ashraf and sent on his way by 16, but only after Pakistan successfully reviewed the decision not to leave Chris Gaffaney. Latham fell 33 to a rough catch by Haris Sohail on the first slip after the second slip. Masood initially dropped a babysitter, the first of three drops for them, but was lucky that Sohail reacted fast enough to pocket him before he hit the ground.
When Ross Taylor gave Abbas one to Masood for 12, New Zealand was in trouble at 71-3. Then the turning point came and the rest of the day belonged to Williamson and Nicholls.
