New Zealand Openers Break Test Match Milestones 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: 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 hit hundreds in each innings of a match, leaving the West Indies a record 462-run target for victory.

Latham notched up 137 and 101 in this series decider, while Conway added to his mammoth 227 in the first innings with a composed 100 in the second.

The pair had constructed a massive 323-run stand in the first innings, totaling 515 runs overall—a new record for the most runs by an opening pair in a five-day game.

Furthermore, Conway became just the 10th batter in Test history to achieve 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 bowled out for 420, facing a deficit of 155 runs, before Latham and Conway again took to the crease.

Along with contributions 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 formidable target of 462 to win and square the series.

At the stumps, West Indies openers had reached 43-0, with John Campbell digging in to score two runs from 50 balls, while Brandon King made 37.

Danielle Jackson
Danielle Jackson

Lena Verhoeven is a creative strategist and writer passionate about design thinking and innovation.

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