Cricket: Black Caps captain Kane Williamson on the cusp of history

History is on the cusp of being made at Eden Park this afternoon.

Kane Williamson sits nine runs short of breaking the deadlock between himself, Ross Taylor and the late Martin Crowe as the first New Zealand cricketer to reach 18 test centuries.

Such a milestone would be the next step in a test career that began as the eighth Kiwi to make a hundred on debut with 131 on November 7, 2010 against India in Ahmedabad.

He has brought metronomic consistency since, with tons against every country that has played the longest format.

Crowe made his last test century, 115, on July 5, 1994 against England at Old Trafford.

However, he has held – and shared since Williamson and Taylor's feats - the national record since he made his eighth ton against Australia at Adelaide on December 12, 1987, passing Glenn Turner and Bevan Congdon.

Thirty years, three months and 11 days later we may see a changing of the guard.

Ahead of the 2015 World Cup, Crowe was asked about Williamson's development.

"We're seeing the dawn of probably our greatest ever batsman."

He chose Williamson over a field of candidates which includes himself, protégé Taylor, Turner and Bert Sutcliffe.

If it happens, Williamson would reach the mark in 114 innings across 64 tests; Crowe took 131 innings across 77.

Not that the milestone will matter a jot to Williamson.

The New Zealand captain will be more concerned in enforcing his side's dominance over England after the visitors were routed for 58 in yesterday's opening session of the first test.

New Zealand are 175 for three in reply.

Last night Williamson led the way with 91 from 177 balls as he numbed the tourists with patience under the floodlights.

His batting, alongside Tom Latham's stoic 26 off 112 balls, Taylor's 20 and Henry Nicholls' 24 not out took an axeman's grip on the country's maiden day-night test.

Perhaps it could be time to head to the ground for the best opportunity yet to see Williamson move beyond Crowe into the ether.