NZ Openers Shatter Test Records Against West Indies
Final Test, Mount Maunganui (the fourth day of five)
- New Zealand 575 for 8 declared: 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 register tons in both 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 built upon his mammoth 227 in the first innings with a precise 100 in the second.
The pair had constructed a colossal 323-run stand in the first innings, totaling 515 runs overall—a new record for the highest aggregate an opening pair in a Test.
Furthermore, Conway became just the 10th batter in Test history to achieve a double hundred and a hundred in the identical game.
He emulated legends like Greg Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar, Graham Gooch, Brian Lara, and Kumar Sangakkara in achieving this extraordinary feat.
Match Context
Earlier on day four, the Windies were bowled out for 420, trailing by 155 runs, before Latham and Conway resumed their partnership.
Along with knocks from Kane Williamson (40) and Rachin Ravindra (46), the New Zealand top order propelled their side to 306-2 before a sporting 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 made 37.
