New Zealand Openers Rewrite Test Records Versus West Indies
Final Test, Mount Maunganui (day four 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 achieved a historic first by becoming the first openers in Test cricket to score centuries in each innings of a match, setting 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 partnership had shared a massive 323-run stand in the first innings, totaling 515 runs overall—a unprecedented total for the highest aggregate an opening pair in a five-day game.
Furthermore, Conway became just the 10th batter in Test history to score 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 accomplishing this extraordinary feat.
Match Context
Earlier on day four, the Windies were bowled out for 420, trailing by 155 runs, before Latham and Conway returned to bat.
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 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.
