Yet it was Williamson who was the star, accumulating runs in his typically measured fashion over more than 10 hours to break through the 3000-run barrier in tests.
It was a position the former Tauranga Boys' College player had grown accustomed to - few could forget the young man weathering the South African storm of Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn to help rescue a draw in Wellington in March 2012.
I interviewed Williamson at his parents' Otumoetai home some time after. We had gone to the same school but had never met - I was six years older and strangely nervous.
He opened the door in shorts, socks and an old T-shirt and looked and sounded half asleep.
He then talked of his deeds as if they belonged to someone else he was barely fond of, only growing animated once while talking about the line, length and guile of the Black Caps' South African destroyer Philander.
I left with a story about Williamson scoring age group runs with a bat formerly belonging to English batsman Graeme Hick and an unerring feeling his mind worked differently to anyone I'd ever met.
Given his mix of temperament and technique, and the manner in which his career runs continues to grow, he may soon be forced to come to terms with another position - at the top of the world test batting rankings.
His record since mid-2013 is nothing short of astonishing.
In his last 22 test innings, he has passed 100 six times - twice against the West Indies and once each against the sub-continent powers of Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Add to that seven scores between 50-100 and a further four scores in the 40s, and it emerges Williamson has made less than 40 only seven times in that span.
That all adds up to an average in excess of 75 and has boosted Williamson's overall test average from the mid-30s to more than 45.
Where it will end up is anyone's guess, but regardless cricket fans are likely in for a treat.
New Zealand has had players who have been world class on their day, but over the years such players and such days have been few and far between.
Kane Williamson is that good most days.
