Kane Williamson hit a superb hundred, his tenth in ODI cricket, as New Zealand amassed 315 for 7 after being inserted in to bat by Pakistan in the first ODI at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Saturday (January 6).
Williamson was at his assertive best for New Zealand, capitalising on Pakistan bowlers' struggle in extremely windy conditions. The umpires even had to take the bails off to keep them from constantly being blown over and stopping play.
The New Zealand captain was fluent on the off side, using his front foot to lace drives wide of fielders, but was equally quick to rock back and slam the pull to the boundary. The pitch displayed some inconsistent bounce, and the strong wind made the ball's trajectory even more unpredictable. Williamson, however, ensured he always tried to play the ball under his eyes and on top of it. His knock had eight fours and one six, and ended in the 48th over, with a very un-Williamson-like hoick that landed in point's hands.
Williamson was allowed his time and the buffer to play his game thanks to a strong early stand from Martin Guptill and Colin Munro. While Guptill played the patient, circumspect opener, Munro went out blazing. In no time, the left-hander had smashed a brutal fifty to give New Zealand a fast start. Munro was finally out for 58 off just 35 balls, a knock studded with six fours and two sixes.
Pakistan fought back mid-way through the innings with three quick wickets. Fakhar Zaman ended Guptill's 72-ball knock two runs short of a fifty, Ross Taylor was bowled by a fast, accurate in-cutter from Hasan Ali, while Tom Latham chipped tamely to the leg side to walk back for 3. New Zealand had slipped from 156 for 1 to 198 for 4.
Thankfully they had Williamson to help restore momentum. Henry Nicholls chipped in with a vital 43-ball fifty to support his captain, while the lower order struck some meaty blows towards the end to take the total past 300, and leave Pakistan facing a challenge.
Brief scores: New Zealand 315/7 (Kane Williamson 115, Colin Munro 68, Hasan Ali 3-61) vs Pakistan.
