New Zealand Opening Batsmen Shatter Test Match Milestones Versus WI
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: Hodge 123 and 43-0
New Zealand's Tom Latham and Devon Conway made history by becoming the initial opening pair in Test cricket to hit hundreds in both innings of a match, setting the West Indies a massive 462-run target for victory.
Latham posted 137 and 101 in this third and final Test, while Conway built upon 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 unprecedented total for the highest aggregate an opening pair in a five-day game.
Furthermore, Conway entered rare company in Test history to score a double hundred 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 remarkable feat.
Match Context
Earlier on day four, the Windies were bowled out for 420, facing a deficit of 155 runs, before Latham and Conway again took to the crease.
Along with contributions from Kane Williamson (40) and Rachin Ravindra (46), the New Zealand openers propelled their side to 306-2 before a declaration, leaving the visitors a near-impossible target of 462 to win and level the series.
At the close of play, 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.