Wellington, Dec 14 : New Zealand pacer Tim Southee has equalled former West Indies batter Chris Gayle's six-hitting record during his final Test appearance at the Seddon Park on Saturday.

Southee and Gayle now have an equal number of sixes - 98 - in Test cricket only behind Adam Gilchrist (100), Brendon McCullum (107) and Ben Stokes (133).

Southee came to bat at 272/8 in the first innings of the third Test against England on the opening day. He received a guard of honour from England players in his farewell Test.

Southee faced Ben Stokes on the first ball of his innings and missed it completely. However, in Stokes's next over, Southee unleashed two massive sixes over mid-wicket and deep square-leg, followed by a single off the fifth ball. Continuing his explosive form, Southee hammered the first ball of Gus Atkinson's next over for six over mid-wicket and edged the subsequent delivery to the point boundary.

Atkinson eventually got his revenge when Southee mistimed a slog, and Brydon Carse took the catch. Southee departed after a blistering 10-ball 23, with a strike rate of 230, marking it the third-fastest Test innings by a New Zealand batter with a 10-ball cut-off. Remarkably, the second spot on the list also belongs to Southee, courtesy of his 10-ball 24 not out against Sri Lanka in 2019.

During his innings, Southee's second six tied him with Jacques Kallis at fifth on the all-time Test six-hitting list with 97 sixes. The third six placed him level with Chris Gayle in fourth place. With just two more sixes, he could become the fourth cricketer to reach 100 Test sixes, surpassing Adam Gilchrist's tally with one additional hit.

Three unique factors underscore Southee's extraordinary numbers: he has never batted in the top seven, boasts a better six-hitting frequency than anyone else, and relies more on sixes than fours for his scoring.

New Zealand were 315/9 at stumps on Day 1 with Mitchell Santner unbeaten on 50 while Will O'Rourke is yet to open his account. Earlier, captain Tom Latham scored 63 while Will Young and Kane Williamson accumulated 42 and 44, respectively.

For England, Matthew Potts and Gus Atkinson bagged three scalps each while Brydon Carse got hold of two dismissals.

/IANS