Ross Taylor (above) and Kane Williamson put up the highest partnership for any wicket for New Zealand against Australia © Getty Images
One milestone after another tumbled during the second Test between Australia and New Zealand at WACA, Perth. Mitchell Starc bowled what is believed to be the fastest ball in the history of Test cricket. Mitchell Johnson went past Brett Lee’s tally of wickets, and is behind only Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, and Dennis Lillee among Australian Test wicket-takers. David Warner scored three consecutive Test hundreds and scored the most runs in a day on Australian soil. Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson put up the highest partnership for any wicket for New Zealand against Australia. Taylor also registered the highest score by any New Zealand batsman against Australia, and is still batting. LIVE SCORECARD: Australia vs New Zealand 2015, 2nd Test at Perth
Meanwhile, Warner and Taylor have combined to form another world record. Taylor’s 235* is the second-highest score of the Test (after Warner’s), which is ninth on the all-time list of second-highest scores in a single Test, and the highest on Australian soil. Surprisingly, the seventh name on the list came just a month ago, when Shoaib Malik’s 245 was bettered by Alastair Cook’s 263 at Abu Dhabi. Ross Taylor scores 200, makes highest individual score for New Zealand against Australia in Test cricket
In the Ashes Test of 1946-47, Sid Barnes and Don Bradman scored 234 each, which was the highest second-highest score on Australian soil till today. Barnes and Bradman’s 234, however, continues to remain the highest identical score in a Test.
| Highest | Second-highest | Teams | Ground | Season | ||
| Mahela Jayawardene | 374 | Kumar Sangakkara | 287 | SL vs SA | SSC | 2006 |
| Martin Crowe | 299 | Aravinda de Silva | 267 | NZ vs SL | Basin Reserve | 1990-91 |
| Garry Sobers | 365* | Conrad Hunte | 260 | WI vs Pak | Sabina Park | 1957-58 |
| Bobby Simpson | 311 | Ken Barrington | 256 | Eng vs Aus | Old Trafford | 1964 |
| Bill Ponsford | 266 | Don Bradman | 244 | Eng vs Aus | The Oval | 1934 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 270 | Marvan Atapattu | 249 | Zim vs SL | Bulawayo | 2004 |
| Alastair Cook | 263 | Shoaib Malik | 245 | Pak vs Eng | Abu Dhabi | 2015-16 |
| Younis Khan | 313 | Mahela Jayawardene | 240 | Pak vs SL | Karachi | 2008-09 |
| David Warner | 253 | Ross Taylor | 235* | Aus vs NZ | WACA | 2015-16 |
Do note that there are several instances of the batsmen being from opposite sides — Crowe and Aravinda, Simpson and Barrington, Cook and Malik, Younis and Mahela, and Warner and Taylor. there have been only four occasions when two batsmen have gone past 250 in the same match, and there is a chance that Warner and Taylor may form the fifth pair.
Footnote: Thilan Samaraweera scored 231* when Younis scored 313 and Mahela 240.