NZ Opening Batsmen Break Test Records Versus West Indies

Cricket action
Tom Latham and Devon Conway have given the Kiwis a dominant lead.

Final 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 initial opening pair in Test cricket to register tons in both innings of a match, leaving the West Indies a daunting 462-run target for victory.

Latham scored 137 and 101 in this third and final Test, while Conway added to his mammoth 227 in the first innings with a composed 100 in the second.

The pair had put on a massive 323-run stand in the first innings, amassing 515 runs overall—a fresh benchmark for the most runs by an opening pair in a five-day game.

Furthermore, Conway joined an elite club in Test history to score a double century and a hundred in the identical game.

He emulated legends like Greg Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar, Graham Gooch, Brian Lara, and Kumar Sangakkara in achieving this remarkable feat.

Match Context

Earlier on day four, the Windies were bowled out for 420, trailing by 155 runs, before Latham and Conway returned to bat.

Along with contributions from Kane Williamson (40) and Rachin Ravindra (46), the New Zealand top order propelled their side to 306-2 before a declaration, setting the visitors a near-impossible 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 made 37.

Zachary Barnett
Zachary Barnett

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