New Zealand Opening Batsmen Shatter Test Match Records Against West Indies

Cricket action
Tom Latham and Devon Conway have put New Zealand in a commanding position.

Final Test, Mount Maunganui (the fourth day 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 made history by becoming the first openers in Test cricket to register tons in each innings of a match, leaving the West Indies a daunting 462-run target for victory.

Latham scored 137 and 101 in this series decider, while Conway built upon his mammoth 227 in the first innings with a precise 100 in the second.

The partnership had put on a colossal 323-run stand in the first innings, totaling 515 runs overallโ€”a fresh benchmark for the highest aggregate an opening pair in a single Test match.

Furthermore, Conway became just the 10th batter in Test history to score a double century and a century in the identical game.

He followed legends like Greg Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar, Graham Gooch, Brian Lara, and Kumar Sangakkara in accomplishing this extraordinary 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 top order propelled their side to 306-2 before a declaration, leaving the visitors a formidable target of 462 to win and level the series.

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

Laura Campbell
Laura Campbell

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