Daryl Mitchell broke a 73-year-old record for most runs by a New Zealand batsman during a Test series against England with 109 at Headingley on Friday.
His third century in the three-match series took him to 482 runs, 20 more than the one scored by Martin Donnelly in 1949.
The 31-year-old Mitchell, who could still add to the tally if required to bat in the second innings, became the fifth player from New Zealand to score centuries in three consecutive Tests.
Mitchell scored 108 runs in the first Test at Lord’s and 190 in the second game at Trent Bridge.
His latest century certainly put him in elite company with Test cricket’s greatest batsman.
Mitchell is the second foreign cricketer after Australia’s Donald Bradman in 1930 to score a century in each of the first three matches of the series in England.
But despite Mitchell’s impressive run, Test world champions New Zealand suffered a five-wicket defeat in both the opening matches of the series as England took an unassailable 2-0 lead.
On Friday, Mitchell’s century came off 213 balls but he was caught shortly after by Ben Stokes off Jack Leach.
Most Test runs by a New Zealand batsman in a Test series against England (players, seasons, matches, innings, runs, highest score, average, 100, 50):
Daryl Mitchell 2022 3 5 482 190 120.50 3 1
Martin Donnelly 1949 4 6 462 206 77.00 1 3
Burt Sutcliffe 1949 4 7 423 101 60.42 1 4
Martin Crowe 1994 3 6 380 142 63.33 2 1
Centuries by overseas batsmen in the first three Tests of a series in England (season, player, match, venue, score):
1930: Don Bradman (Australia)
1st Test, Nottingham: 8, 131
2nd Test, Lord’s: 254, 1
3rd Test, Leeds: 334
2002: Daryl Mitchell (NZL)
1st Test, Lord’s: 13, 108
Second Test, Nottingham: 190, No. 62
3rd Test, Leeds: 109
Note: no = not out
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