NZ Opening Batsmen Rewrite Test Match Records Versus West Indies
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 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 both innings of a match, setting the West Indies a massive 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 shared a colossal 323-run stand in the first innings, combining for 515 runs overall—a fresh benchmark for the highest aggregate an opening pair in a Test.
Furthermore, Conway joined an elite club in Test history to score a double hundred and a hundred in the same match.
He emulated legends like Greg Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar, Graham Gooch, Brian Lara, and Kumar Sangakkara in accomplishing this notable 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 knocks 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 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.
