NZ vs WI: Kane Williamson becomes second cricketer to score 1000 Test runs at Seddon Park

HAMILTON: New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson on Thursday joined compatriot Ross Taylor as the only cricketers with 1,000 or more runs at the Seddon Park venue in the longest format of the game.

The right-handed batsman achieved the feat on day one of the ongoing first Test against West Indies.

No other player except Williamson and Taylor has 1000 or more runs at the Seddon Park. Former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid is the only non-Kiwi cricketer to feature in the top 10 run-getters at the venue.

Dravid has 415 runs from three matches with one half-century two hundreds and at the Seddon Park.

On day one, after electing to bowl first, Windies got an immediate reward in the form of debutant Will Young's wicket with Shannon Gabriel dismissing him in the fourth over.

Williamson then joined Tom Latham and the duo started rebuilding the Kiwi innings. Their patient knocks carried New Zealand to the end of the opening session with an 85-run stand.

Latham's resilience saw him scoring his 19th Test fifty as New Zealand looked steady on an opening day after an early blow.

Meanwhile, skipper Williamson completed 1000 Test runs at Seddon Park. He joined Taylor as the only cricketers with 1,000 or more at the venue.

This is also Williamson's 33rd Test as captain moving him ahead of Daniel Vettori (32 Tests) into third on the all-time New Zealand skipper list.

Former skipper Stephen Fleming leads the list with 80 Tests as captain followed by JR Reid with 34 Tests. Brendon McCullum is fifth on the list with 31 Tests.

Also, on the opening day of the first Test, both New Zealand and West Indies wore black armbands in honour of Kemar Roach's late father Andrew Smith.

Cricket West Indies and the West Indies Senior Men's team also extended deepest condolences to fast bowler, Roach, and his family on the passing of his father, Smith.