NZ's best series wins, and Williamson's record

Stats highlights from the fifth ODI between New Zealand and India in Wellington

31-Jan-2014

Kane Williamson hits one down the ground, New Zealand v India, 5th ODI, Wellington, January 31, 2014

With a win in the fifth ODI, New Zealand completed what was a comprehensive series win for them. This is only the third time New Zealand have finished unbeaten in a series in which they have played five or more matches.

India ended the series without managing to win a single match - only the fifth time they have not won a match in a five-match (or more) bilateral series. The last time they failed to win even a single match in a bilateral series involving five or more matches, was in England in 2011, when they lost three matches, tied one and one game was abandoned.

Including this loss, India have now gone without a win in seven consecutive ODIs that have ended in a result. They are one loss short of their worst run of matches - they went five consecutive matches without a win in the Benson Hedges World Series Cup in 1980-81, followed by two losses in a two-match ODI series in New Zealand, and then lost the first match of the three-match home ODI series against England. Click here for a list of teams that have gone most consecutive ODIs without a win.

Kane Williamson became only the second batsman in ODIs to hit fifty-plus scores in all the matches of a five-match series. Yasir Hameed of Pakistan, who hit four fifties and a century in a five-match series against New Zealand in 2003-04, is the other batsman to achieve this feat.

Williamson also became the fourth New Zealand batsman to hit five or more consecutive fifty-plus scores in ODIs. Andrew Jones, Roger Twose and Martin Guptill are the others to do it. Click here for a list of batsmen who have hit five or more consecutive fifty-plus scores. Williamson's five fifties are also the most fifty-plus scores by a New Zealand batsman in a bilateral series.

Williamson's 361 runs are the highest by a New Zealand batsman in a bilateral ODI series. Nathan Astle held this record previously, with 351 runs against Zimbabwe in 1997-98. Ross Taylor's 343 runs in this series are the third-highest in this list. Taylor has been in good form in 2013-14, scoring 1275 runs at 75.00 in international cricket and his hundred in the fifth ODI the batsman's sixth for the season - the most hit by a New Zealand batsman in any season in international cricket, beating Astle's five hundreds in 1995-96.

The 463 runs that Taylor and Kane Williamson added from four partnerships in this series are the highest by a New Zealand pair in a bilateral series, beating the 406 runs added by Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder against England in 2007-08. Overall, this is second-highest added by a pair for New Zealand in any ODI series. Bruce Edgar and John Wright added 614 runs from 12 innings in the Benson & Hedges World Series Cup in 1980-81, which is the highest for New Zealand.

Taylor and Williamson also broke the record for the highest runs added by a pair from four innings in an ODI series. They went past the 428 runs added by Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar in 1997-98.

Matt Henry's 4 for 38 in this match are the third-best figures on debut by a New Zealand bowler in ODIs. Mitchell McClenaghan has the best figures by a New Zealand bowler on debut - 4 for 20 against South Africa at Boland Park last year.

MS Dhoni completed 8000 ODI runs in this match, becoming the fourth-fastest batsman to the landmark, having achieved it in 214 innings. Sourav Ganguly, who took 200 innings, is the fastest to 8000 ODI runs. Dhoni is only the fifth player in ODIs to score 8000-plus runs and effect 200-plus fielding dismissals.

Matt Henry Ross Taylor MS Dhoni Kane Williamson India New Zealand New Zealand vs India India tour of New Zealand

Shiva Jayaraman is a sub-editor (stats) at ESPNcricinfo.com