New Zealand have never beaten South Africa in a Test series in nearly a century of trying and will rarely have a better chance to break that drought than in two matches against a severely depleted side starting on Sunday.
Williamson's 109 from 132 deliveries on another sun-kissed day at Mount Maunganui made him only the fifth New Zealander to score a hundred in each innings of a Test.
India's T20 series opener against New Zealand was washed out on Friday without a ball being bowled, following steady rain at the Sky Stadium in Wellington.
South Africa pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada is still bitter about the scheduling fiasco which saw him miss the two-Test series in New Zealand.
Kane Williamson hit an unbeaten century as New Zealand beat South Africa by seven wickets on the fourth day of the second Test
New Zealand were in trouble at 37 for 3 at stumps in reply to England's declared first innings total of 325 for 9 at Bay Oval, with seven wickets tumbling in a frantic evening session.
New Zealand's hopes of levelling the T20 series against India with victory in the final match on Tuesday have taken a blow with captain Kane Williamson opting out of the match for a medical appointment.
England's "Bazball" revolution continued apace on Sunday when the tourists wrapped up a thumping 267-run victory over New Zealand in the opening session of the fourth day of the first Test.
Bangladesh beat New Zealand by five wickets in the opening Twenty20 International at McLean Park, Napier, on Wednesday after dismissing the hosts cheaply for the second time in four days.
With 682 Test scalps against his name, the England legend is now third on the all-time list for Test wickets behind spin duo Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708).
This is one picture that'll be cherished by posterity.
The two-match series ended in a 1-1 draw, with England having won the first Test in Mount Maunganui by 267 runs.
Captain Tom Latham smashed an unbeaten 186 as New Zealand bounced back from their shock defeat in Mount Maunganui to amass 349-1 on the opening day of the second and final Test against Bangladesh on Sunday.
During the third day of the opening Test against New Zealand, England skipper Ben Stokes entered the history books as he broke Brendon McCullum's record.
Selectors have overlooked Boult as a replacement because he opted out of his national contract last year.
In the four Tests played during the year, Babar scored 338 runs at an average of 67.6.
Smriti Mandhana, Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar scored half-centuries to help India post 244 for 7 in their ICC women's World Cup opener against Pakistan, in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, on Sunday.
New Zealand's top cricketers returned to squad training on Monday at the country's High Performance Centre in Lincoln after a prolonged break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement issued on Monday, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced that six national camps will be conducted till September. Cricket activities in New Zealand came to a halt in late March owing to the deadly pandemic.
Emotional Tickner returns to NZ squad after cyclone relief efforts
New Zealand were bundled out for 126
Williamson has started training again at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui as New Zealand has managed to curb the spread of the coronavirus considerably.
Mandhana shared a picture of Pakistan captain and her daughter, with the Indian women's team
Chris Broad of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after India were found to be one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.
After England dominated the proceedings on Day 1 of the first Test at the Bay Oval, Tom Blundell struck a century to revive New Zealand's chances.
Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said Virat Kohli's India reminded him of the Pakistan team under Imran Khan for their strong-self and ability to win matches from jaws of defeat. The cricketer turned commentator expressed his opinion after India completed a rare 5-0 whitewash with a seven-run victory over New Zealand in the final T20 International in Mount Maunganui on Sunday.
A victory at Hagley Oval to seal a 2-0 series sweep would also push the Black Caps firmly into contention for one of two berths in June's inaugural ICC World Test Championship final at Lord's.
Root helped kick off England's sparkling run under Stokes by scoring a mountain of runs against New Zealand and India in the home summer.
Images from the Women's World Cup match between India and England, in Mount Maunganui, on Wednesday.
The third and final T20 International between New Zealand and West Indies was abandoned due to rain at the Bay Oval, in Mount Maunganui, on Monday.
The play stopped for a brief moment at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, when a streaker came running to the pitch.
The South African great took it from there as the Bangladesh bowlers reached the mark of 167 wickets for the year, their best across formats in a calendar year in over two decades of playing international cricket.
An unwell Trent Boult skipped the New Zealand cricket team's training session at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Monday, staying away from the squad as a precautionary measure. The left-arm pacer is among eight players including Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner, who are attending the first half of the camp that started on Sunday.
India captain Hardik Pandya on Friday said the limited-overs tour of New Zealand is all about role clarity and opportunities for new players in the team.
New Zealand Cricket has tweaked its home fixture to reduce travel to minimise risk of COVID-19 infection.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of Friday's fourth T20 International against in Wellington owing to a shoulder injury. Pacer Tim Southee is leading the Black Caps in his absence.
The series will be held between November 18 to 30 and New Zealand will return to India for a white-ball series
Tim Southee said Suryakumar Yadav will have to prove himself consistently to become India's best in the shortest format.
'The conditions were very wet, so credit to the bowlers. I have bowled a lot, going forward I want to see more bowling options. This will not work always but I want more batters to chip in with the ball.'
Brook has now scored four centuries in his past five Tests
Teams hit by COVID can field 9 players is one of the rules announced by the ICC on Thursday.
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