New Zealand Opening Batsmen Shatter Test Match Milestones Against West Indies

Cricket action
Tom Latham and Devon Conway have put New Zealand in a commanding position.

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 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 match history to register tons in both 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 constructed a colossal 323-run stand in the first innings, amassing 515 runs overall—a fresh benchmark for the highest aggregate an opening pair in a five-day game.

Furthermore, Conway became just the 10th batter in Test history to achieve a double hundred and a hundred in the same match.

He followed legends like Greg Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar, Graham Gooch, Brian Lara, and Kumar Sangakkara in achieving this remarkable 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 top order 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 reached 43-0, with John Campbell digging in to score two runs from 50 balls, while Brandon King was more aggressive on 37.

Steven Sawyer
Steven Sawyer

A seasoned sports analyst with over a decade of experience in betting strategies and statistical modeling.