The fifth day of the WTC final ended with India taking a 32-run lead in the second innings. The Indian cricket team has eight wickets in hand and Virat Kohli’s men will look forward to scoring runs quickly in the first half of the last day to put the Black Caps under pressure.
The first session of the fifth day of the WTC final belonged to India. Mohammed Shami and the other Indian bowlers ran through the New Zealand middle-order. However, Kane Williamson, Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee made sure the Black Caps took a 32-run first innings lead.
India lost two wickets in their second innings and ended the day at 64/2. The final day of the WTC final promises to be a thrilling one. Here’s a look at some interesting statistics to emerge after Day 5 of the WTC final.
1. Tim Southee became the first Kiwi fast bowler to take 600 international wickets
Tim Southee picked up both Indian wickets that fell on Day 5. First, he trapped Shubman Gill in front of his stumps and then dismissed his opening partner Rohit Sharma the same way.
Following Gill’s dismissal, Southee touched the 600-wicket milestone in international cricket. He became the second Kiwi bowler to accomplish this feat after left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori.
2. Kane Williamson becomes the 2nd highest run-getter for New Zealand in Test cricket history
Kane Williamson resumed Day 5 on his overnight score of 12*. He played cautiously and did not focus much on scoring in the first session. In the second session, he showed a little more aggression.
The Kiwi skipper ultimately lost his wicket when he was just one run away from his 33rd Test fifty. Nevertheless, Williamson (7,178 runs) overtook Stephen Fleming (7,172 runs) on the list of the highest run-getters for New Zealand in Tests. He is only behind his teammate Ross Taylor (7,517 runs).
3. Mohammed Shami becomes the first Indian to take a 4-wicket haul in an ICC final
Mohammed Shami bowled a fiery spell in the first session of Day 5 of the WTC Final. He bagged the wickets of Ross Taylor and BJ Watling to give India some much-needed momentum.
By the end of the innings, Shami had completed his four-wicket haul. With figures of 4/76, Shami became the first Indian to take a four-wicket haul in an ICC tournament final.
4. Ishant Sharma overtakes Kapil Dev after his 3-wicket haul in the WTC final
After dismissing Henry Nicholls in New Zealand’s first innings, Ishant Sharma became the most successful Indian bowler in Test matches on English soil.
Sharma added one more wicket to his tally by dismissing Kane Williamson in the WTC final. His figures of 3/48 in the first innings have made him the number one Indian bowler on the list of the most Test wickets in England.
5. Ross Taylor became the first Kiwi batsman to score 18,000 international runs
Heading into Day 5 of the WTC final, Ross Taylor needed four runs to complete 18,000 runs in international cricket. The veteran Kiwi batsman took 18 deliveries to score two runs. However, he hit a boundary on the 19th ball and reached the 18,000-run milestone.
Taylor has become the first batsman from his country to accomplish this feat. However, Taylor lost his wicket to Mohammed Shami soon after.