New Zealand Opening Batsmen Shatter Test Match Records Against West Indies

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

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 achieved a historic first by becoming the first openers in Test match history to register tons in both innings of a match, setting the West Indies a daunting 462-run target for victory.

Latham scored 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 colossal 323-run stand in the first innings, combining for 515 runs overall—a new record for the highest aggregate an opening pair in a Test.

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 accomplishing this notable feat.

Match Context

Earlier on day four, the Windies were bowled out 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 sporting declaration, setting the visitors a near-impossible target of 462 to win and square the series.

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

Susan Thomas
Susan Thomas

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