New Zealand Openers Rewrite Test Match Milestones Against West Indies
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 achieved a historic first by becoming the first openers in Test cricket to hit hundreds in both innings of a match, setting the West Indies a daunting 462-run target for victory.
Latham notched up 137 and 101 in this third and final Test, while Conway added to his mammoth 227 in the first innings with a precise 100 in the second.
The duo had put on a massive 323-run stand in the first innings, combining for 515 runs overall—a new record 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 century and a century in the identical game.
He joined the ranks of legends like Greg Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar, Graham Gooch, Brian Lara, and Kumar Sangakkara in accomplishing this remarkable feat.
Match Context
Earlier on day four, the Windies were bowled out for 420, trailing by 155 runs, before Latham and Conway again took to the crease.
Along with knocks from Kane Williamson (40) and Rachin Ravindra (46), the New Zealand top order propelled their side to 306-2 before a declaration, leaving the visitors a near-impossible target of 462 to win and square the series.
At the stumps, West Indies openers had reached 43-0, with John Campbell showing great patience to score two runs from 50 balls, while Brandon King was more aggressive on 37.