Christchurch, New Zealand: Captain Brendon McCullum scored the fastest test century by a New Zealander and became the first Kiwi to score 1,000 test runs in a calendar year as he guided his team to 215-4 at tea Friday on the first day of the first test against Sri Lanka.
McCullum came to the crease just after lunch, and after New Zealand had suffered a heavy setback with the run out of Ross Taylor for 7, and dashed to a century from 74 balls, with 10 fours and five sixes, to eclipse Taylor's four-year old record of 81 balls.
McCullum dashed past Kane Williamson (54), to reach a half century from only 45 balls, with seven fours and a six. He then added his next half century from only 29 balls with three more fours and four sixes in an outstanding display of power-hitting on a pitch expected to favor bowlers.
Mathews had chosen to bat on winning the toss and Sri Lanka was well-placed in the match at 88-3 when Taylor was run out for seven, after the visitors had earlier removed openers Hamish Rutherford (18) and Tom Latham (27) in the hour before lunch.
McCullum quickly seized the reins of the innings and shared a 126-run stand with Williamson to shift momentum toward New Zealand in the afternoon session.
McCullum and Williamson had already become the leading run-scorers for New Zealand in a calendar year when they started their innings, having eclipsed the feat of former New Zealand captain John (J.R.) Reid, who scored 871 runs in 1965.
McCullum's record-breaking season began when he scored a double century and triple century in consecutive innings — becoming the first Kiwi to do so — against India in February. He also scored a double century against Pakistan in the third test of the recent, drawn series in the United Arab Emirates.
Williamson scored a century against India in his first test innings of 2014, followed it with another in the first test against the West Indies in Kingston in June, scored 161 not out in the third test of that series and a career-best 192 against Pakistan.
Earlier in the session, Taylor had turned a ball backward of square and set off for a run when he was sent back by Williamson. He was too far down the pitch, slipped in trying to go back and was run out by a direct hit by Kaushal Silva.
Williamson was bowled by Dhamikka Prasad just before tea.
McCullum reached his century in slightly anti-climactic fashion. He struck a six from debuting spinner Tharindu Kaushal to go to 99 and immediately saluted the crowd, believing he had reached his century.
He was unaware that two runs he had taken earlier in the over had been awarded as leg byes and he needed a single from the next ball to reach his century and to again enjoy the crowd's applause.
