New Zealand Openers Rewrite Test Records Against WI

Cricket action
Tom Latham and Devon Conway have established a formidable advantage for their team.

Third Test, Mount Maunganui (day four of five)

  • New Zealand 575-8 dec: Conway 227, Latham 137 and 306-2 dec: Latham 101, Conway 100
  • West Indies 420 all out: Hodge 123 and 43-0

New Zealand's Tom Latham and Devon Conway achieved a historic first by becoming the first openers in Test cricket to score centuries in each innings of a match, leaving the West Indies a record 462-run target for victory.

Latham notched up 137 and 101 in this series decider, while Conway added to his mammoth 227 in the first innings with a precise 100 in the second.

The pair had put on a massive 323-run stand in the first innings, amassing 515 runs overall—a unprecedented total for the highest aggregate an opening pair in a Test.

Furthermore, Conway joined an elite club in Test history to score a double hundred and a hundred in the same match.

He followed legends like Greg Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar, Graham Gooch, Brian Lara, and Kumar Sangakkara in securing this notable feat.

Match Context

Earlier on day four, the Windies were dismissed for 420, facing a deficit of 155 runs, before Latham and Conway returned to bat.

Along with contributions from Kane Williamson (40) and Rachin Ravindra (46), the New Zealand openers propelled their side to 306-2 before a sporting declaration, setting the visitors a formidable target of 462 to win and level the series.

At the close of play, West Indies openers had reached 43-0, with John Campbell showing great patience to score two runs from 50 balls, while Brandon King was more aggressive on 37.

Cody Stewart
Cody Stewart

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