Quiet achiever Nicholls is making a noise

After securing a rare series win on foreign soil, the Black Caps had no time to waste in coming home with their next assignment starting Saturday, and their arrivals at Auckland Airport told a story.

Captain Kane Williamson was one of the first through, all business after a series where he scored the most runs, and notched his 19th test century to tilt the deciding test against Pakistan in New Zealand’s favour.

Offspinner Will Somerville made a beeline for his family, glad to be home less than 48 hours after finishing his first test with match figures of 7-127, the fourthbest match figures by a New Zealand test debutant.

Fellow spinner Ajaz Patel took his time but the crowd of two dozen family and friends didn’t mind one bit, mobbing him as soon as he was through the arrival gate. Playing all three tests on his first international tour, he took 13 wickets at an average of 29.61, including a haul of 7-123 on his debut, slightly better than Somerville’s.

Then there was Henry Nicholls, the quiet achiever as New Zealand won an away test series for just the 15th time. Finishing second to Williamson on the Black Caps’ run-scoring chart with 287 to his name at an average of 79, it was a strong tour for the batsman who turned 27 while away.

The skipper and the spinners may have got most of the plaudits but Nicholls played an important role, sticking with his captain on the fourth day of the third test after arriving at the crease at the fall of the fourth wicket with Pakistan still in front by 14 runs. Unbeaten on 90 overnight, he quickly brought up his third test century on the final day and finished