Black Caps star Kane Williamson in calamitous run out after colliding with Will Young

Friday, 1 March 2024

A calamitous run out of New Zealand’s best batter put them in all sorts of trouble on day two of the first cricket test against Australia on Friday.

Kane Williamson, with the Black Caps 12-1 in reply to Australia’s first innings of 383, collided with batting partner Will Young and was run out for a two-ball duck in scarcely believable scenes at the Basin Reserve.

Coming off a run of test scores of 118, 109, 43 and 133 not out against South Africa, the man with 32 test centuries pushed one from Mitchell Starc to mid off and took off for a sharp single to open his account.

Young responded but the pair collided mid-pitch, with Starc close by, as Marnus Labuschagne swooped from mid-off.

His direct hit at the bowler’s end left Williamson well short, having crossed with Young whose bat lay forlornly on the grass as the sellout Wellington crowd sat stunned.

Black Caps batters Kane Williamson and Will Young collide behind Australia’s Mitchell Starc, resulting in Williamson being run out for a duck.

“I can’t believe what I’ve just seen here,” said former New Zealand test cricketer Craig McMillan in the TVNZ commentary box.

Williamson trudged off with a slight limp, and lingered on the boundary chatting to the fourth umpire as he watched replays on the big screen and digested what had happened.

Black Caps batter Kane Williamson walks off after being run out following a collision with team-mate Will Young.

It was the first time he had been run out in a test since 2012, when the Black Caps beat Zimbabwe in Napier.

Opener Tom Latham had already been bowled for five by Starc as the Black Caps made a poor start to a big batting day.

Rachin Ravindra soon followed for a duck, caught by Nathan Lyon at point off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood, to leave the Black Caps 12-3.

Earlier, Australia’s Cameron Green and Hazlewood plundered a record 10th wicket stand against New Zealand of 116 to boost their total and give the touring side complete control of the first in the two-test series.