Williamson in elite set as NZ take control

Kane Williamson joined the elite 1,000 runs-a-year club on Saturday as New Zealand built a commanding 308-run lead over Sri Lanka with two days remaining in the first Test in Dunedin.

Only the threat of rain and a flattening pitch loomed as possible barricades for New Zealand, who closed day three on 171 for one with nine wickets in hand.

Tom Latham was on 72 with master batsman Williamson on 48. Williamson, who started his innings with 992 runs for the year, reached 1,000 driving Rangana Herath elegantly over mid-off to the boundary.

He joins England’s Alastair Cook and Joe Root and Australians David Warner and Steve Smith as the only players to achieve the milestone in 2015 but his batting average of 94.54 is considerably superior to the other four.

Brendon McCullum, with 1,164 runs in 2014, is the only other New Zealander to score 1,000 runs in a calendar year.