Kane Williamson becomes 1st New Zealand batter to reach 19,000 international runs

During the second semifinal of the current Champions Trophy 2025, legendary New Zealand (NZ) batsman Kane Williamson made history by being the first Kiwi player to reach the 19000-run milestone in his international career. Notably, on Wednesday, March 4, the Blackcaps will play South Africa (SA) at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

When it comes to leading New Zealand in runs scored in every format, the 34-year-old is already in the lead. Williamson needed 27 runs to add the most recent achievement to his list of records before he came out to bat in the thrilling knockout match. After pacer Lungi Ngidi removed Will Young in the eighth over, the Tauranga native reached the crease. The renowned batsman first struggled to middle the ball with the bat, but after a while in the middle, he established his batting rhythm and reached another fifty in the Champions Trophy.

Speaking of some iconic New Zealanders, the next-best batters with the most runs for the nation are former captain Stephen Fleming (15,289 runs) and Ross Taylor (18,199 runs). Regarding his Champions Trophy performances, Fleming averaged 33.92 and amassed 441 runs from 13 matches. He scored three fifties in these games.

However, Kane Williamson overtook the previous legend with four half-centuries and a century from ten games thanks to some generous batting.

He had already reached his 15th ODI century and was on track for another century in the main event for New Zealand. However, he faced 94 balls before being removed by Wiaan Mulder on 102, just after four balls. Ten fours and two sixes were scattered across his innings.

Most international runs for New Zealand across formats