Twitter Reactions: Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor score centuries to draw the second Test in Hamilton

The 2nd Test ended in a draw with New Zealand winning two-match series against England by 1-0 after the game was called off by the umpires due to heavy rain in Hamilton. With no miraculous turns in the game on Day 5, the hosts’ senior batters showed their resistance against visitors bowlers without getting dismissed. The Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, both ended their Test series with a brilliant century at Seddon Park.

New Zealand suffered two early blows on Day 4 in the second innings and it looked like that England pacers might dominate on the final day, but that was not the case. A brilliant partnership of 213 runs between Williamson and Taylor left visitors’ bowlers struggling for the wicket till the match was called off due to showers.

Williamson and Taylor emerge as stars for New Zealand on Day 5

Williamson and Taylor got off to a slow start in the cool morning in Hamilton and were defensive in their approach. However, the England team dropped quite a few important opportunities to dismiss the Kiwi skipper. First of those was in the fourth over of the day when Williamson tried to glance the ball for a boundary. But it went off his gloves and Ollie Pope dropped a regular catch in the slip. England paid the price for it with Williamson registering his 32nd half-century and just after that Taylor also crossed the 50-run mark.

England dropped their second chance to dismiss Williamson when he was playing at 62 when Jofra Archer was bowling. The young pacer bowled a knuckleball which the Kiwi batter misread. He played a lazy shot towards mid-wicket where Joe Denly was stationed, who dropped a sitter. At the other end, Taylor, who was playing without taking a risk went past the mark of 7000 runs in Test cricket and became the second player of his country to accomplish that feat after Stephen Fleming.

After getting a couple of lifelines, Williamson scored his 21st century in Test cricket in style with a boundary off Joe Root. However, Taylor in the last over before the match was called off turned on his beast mode when he was at 89. He smashed one boundary and two back-to-back sixes in three consecutive deliveries and scored his 19th ton in the longer format.

New Zealand were 241/2 when the clouds opened up. The players turned towards their respective dressing rooms. Later on, after going through the intensity of the rain and time, the umpires called off the day’s play. It also ensured that Kiwi won the series by 1-0 over England with the last match ending in a draw.

Here is how Twitter reacted: