NZ Openers Shatter Test Milestones Against West Indies

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

Third Test, Mount Maunganui (day four 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 initial opening pair in Test match history to score centuries in both innings of a match, leaving the West Indies a record 462-run target for victory.

Latham posted 137 and 101 in this third and final Test, while Conway built upon his mammoth 227 in the first innings with a composed 100 in the second.

The pair had shared a massive 323-run stand in the first innings, combining for 515 runs overall—a new record for the most runs by an opening pair in a Test.

Furthermore, Conway entered rare company in Test history to score a double hundred and a century in the identical game.

He emulated legends like Greg Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar, Graham Gooch, Brian Lara, and Kumar Sangakkara in securing 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 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, setting the visitors a formidable target of 462 to win and level the series.

At the stumps, West Indies openers had navigated to 43-0, with John Campbell showing great patience to score two runs from 50 balls, while Brandon King was more aggressive on 37.

Willie Clements
Willie Clements

Astrophysicist and science writer with a passion for making space accessible to everyone through engaging stories and insights.