By Matt Burrows
Black Caps batsman Kane Williamson has finished the year with a higher Test average than any other player to have featured in more than 10 innings, sitting fifth on 2015's leading Test run-scorer list after notching 1172 runs.
The 25-year-old's average was a brilliant 90.15 for the year after playing 16 innings and scoring five centuries, including a mammoth 242 not out against Sri Lanka on January 3rd.
In an incredible year for a number of Test batsmen, Williamson's stunning run tally was bettered by four players, with England captain Alistair Cook (1364) and Australian opener David Warner (1317) sitting in third and fourth respectively.
Young British phenomenon Joe Root is second on 1385, with Australian skipper Steve Smith notching 1474 Test runs from 24 innings in 2015 to top the list.
Smith's haul of runs – and average of 73.70 – is made all the more remarkable when his four consecutive single-digit scores during Australia's tour of England are taken into account.
However Smith's compatriot Adam Voges, who sits sixth on the Test run-scoring table, is the only batsman that gets close to Williamson's average this year – with 85.66 from his 18 innings, including a gargantuan 269 not out against West Indies earlier in the month.
Perhaps more unbelievable is Voges' personal average against the Windies, which now sits at 542 after scoring three centuries from his four innings against them – making it the best average for any batsman against an opposition.
On top of his Test exploits, Williamson has also scored the second-most ODI runs in 2015 with 1317 at an average of 57.26, behind Martin Guptill.
Leading Test run scorers in 2015:
3 News