NZ Openers Rewrite Test Match Milestones Versus WI

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: Hodge 123 and 43-0

New Zealand's Tom Latham and Devon Conway made history by becoming the first openers in Test match history to hit hundreds in both innings of a match, setting the West Indies a massive 462-run target for victory.

Latham scored 137 and 101 in this series decider, while Conway built upon his mammoth 227 in the first innings with a composed 100 in the second.

The duo had shared a massive 323-run stand in the first innings, combining for 515 runs overall—a fresh benchmark 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 same match.

He emulated legends like Greg Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar, Graham Gooch, Brian Lara, and Kumar Sangakkara in securing this remarkable 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 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.

Kathleen Murphy
Kathleen Murphy

Elias Vance is a tech consultant and digital strategist with over 12 years of experience in helping UK businesses adapt to technological changes.