Auckland asked Northern Districts to bat after winning the toss, and Williamson came out at the crease at the fall of the first wicket. He hit seven boundaries in his 122-ball knock, which lasted almost three hours. Williamson added 52 for the fourth wicket with Robert O’Donnell, before falling lbw to Jordan Sussex after a stand of 36 with Brett Hampton.
It was Williamson’s first Plunket Shield match in five years; He last played in the country’s premier first-class competition in October 2019.
“You always feel like an ND man, whether you’re here or not,” he had said before the game. “It’s nice when, with the balance of the international calendar, you get a chance to play.”
The first Test begins on November 28 in Christchurch, before the series moves to Wellington and Hamilton for the next two games. It will be Williamson’s teammate Tim Southee’s last Test series unless New Zealand reach the WTC final next year.
