New Zealand Openers Shatter Test Records Versus West Indies
Final Test, Mount Maunganui (the fourth day of five)
- New Zealand 575 for 8 declared: Conway 227, Latham 137 and 306-2 dec: Latham 101, Conway 100
- West Indies 420: 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 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 shared 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 Test.
Furthermore, Conway joined an elite club in Test history to achieve 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 achieving 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 resumed their partnership.
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 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 digging in to score two runs from 50 balls, while Brandon King made 37.
