New Zealand's former captain Kane Williamson made an impressive return to international cricket, top-scoring with 93 runs on the opening day of the first Test against England at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.

In challenging conditions, Williamson's partnerships with Tom Latham, Rachin Ravindra, and Daryl Mitchell helped New Zealand post a competitive total after Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bowl first on a green pitch.

Despite winning the toss and opting to bowl in conditions expected to favor the seamers, England's bowlers, led by captain Ben Stokes, were unable to fully capitalize on the green pitch. The surface offered bounce and movement, but Williamson and his fellow batters applied themselves well, negotiating the conditions to keep New Zealand in control for much of the day.

Seamer Brydon Carse was one of the few bowlers to extract significant movement, particularly with the wind aiding his deliveries. Carse's efforts kept England in the game, but they were unable to break crucial partnerships during the inning.

Kane Williamson's return was marked by crucial partnerships that steadied the New Zealand innings after early pressure from England. He first built a steady stand with Tom Latham, followed by productive collaborations with Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell. These partnerships allowed New Zealand to accumulate runs steadily, frustrating England's bowlers.

Reflecting on the day’s play, Williamson expressed satisfaction with his team's batting performance in tricky conditions.

"It was challenging, we had to work hard, some good partnerships, but the wicket was pretty good. I was just trying to adjust as to where to run (on being asked about the slippery surface), we applied ourselves well, pretty balanced day with both teams getting some rewards. An interesting day's play overall,” 

After watching New Zealand's stunning 3-0 series win in India earlier this year, Williamson admitted to feeling nervous about his comeback. "Was nervous (on his comeback), watched the series and the team did amazingly well there in India, it was a great achievement to win 3-0," he noted.

Williamson highlighted how pleased he was with the team's ability to build partnerships despite the ball offering some sideways movement and bounce. "From our perspective, we were pleased with partnerships throughout, the ball was doing a bit and we felt we got some rewards towards the end of the day. The ball was doing a bit throughout, there was some sideways movement and bounce, (Brydon) Carse extracted it well, with the wind he made the ball do a bit" he added.