Christchurch: Kiwi all-rounder Kane Williamson played a crucial role in securing New Zealand's position at the helm of the first Test match against England at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday.
By the end of the first day, New Zealand was at 319/8, with Glenn Phillips (41*) and Tim Southee (10*) still on the scorecard.
Williamson came close to his 33rd Test century but fell just short as the Black Caps began their first Test against England in Christchurch with a promising start.
Williamson appeared to be back in form in his debut match after recovering from an injury, scoring a stylish 93 after being given the opportunity by England captain Ben Stokes.
The ICC noted that Williamson played it safe at the crease, forming 50-run partnerships with captain Tom Latham (47), Rachin Ravindra (34), and Daryl Mitchell (19) as New Zealand surged to 193/3 and maintained control.
However, the former Kiwi captain was caught off guard by some extra bounce from Gus Atkinson (2/61) just after the break, marking his first time falling into the 90s in over six years as England rallied late in the match with impressive spin bowling from Shoaib Bashir (4/69).
Bashir then took the final three wickets of the day, giving England a glimmer of hope, with Glenn Phillips and Tim Southee (10*) managing to survive the last few overs against the second new ball.
New Zealand is still in the running to qualify for next year's ICC World Test Championship Final but will likely need to win all three matches against England at home to secure a spot in the one-off Test at Lord's in June 2025.
England, on the other hand, is not aiming for the World Test Championship Final this year but put on a strong performance in the Test match, starting off well against Atkinson, who had Devon Conway (2) caught and bowled in the second over, setting Williamson and his team up for a challenging situation.
