NZ Opening Batsmen Rewrite Test Match Records Against West Indies

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

Third 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 etched their names in the record books by becoming the first openers in Test cricket to hit hundreds in both innings of a match, leaving the West Indies a daunting 462-run target for victory.

Latham notched up 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 partnership had constructed a massive 323-run stand in the first innings, amassing 515 runs overall—a unprecedented total for the most runs by an opening pair in a single Test match.

Furthermore, Conway became just the 10th batter in Test history to score a double hundred and a century in the same match.

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

Game Situation

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

Along with knocks from Kane Williamson (40) and Rachin Ravindra (46), the New Zealand openers propelled their side to 306-2 before a declaration, leaving the visitors a near-impossible target of 462 to win and square the series.

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

Matthew Clements
Matthew Clements

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