Mount Maunganui, Dec 18 Devon Conway and Tom Latham delivered an opening-day record-breaking performance here at the Bay Oval on Thursday, carving up a struggling West Indies bowling attack as New Zealand closed Day 1 of the third Test on a formidable 334/1.
Conway remained unbeaten on 178 at stumps, while captain Latham fell late in the day for 137, the pair having stitched together a monumental 323-run opening stand. In the process, the duo set a new record for the highest opening partnership in Tests ever since the inception of the ICC World Test Championship, surpassing the previous record held by India's Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal.
Rohit and Agarwal had previously held the record since they put on 317 for the opening wicket against South Africa in Visakhapatnam back in 2019.
Moreover, it was the second-largest opening partnership in New Zealand’s Test history, surpassed only by Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvis’ 387 against the West Indies in Georgetown in 1972, and marked just the eighth 300-plus partnership by New Zealand in the longest format.
After opting to bat first, the host got off to a flying start as Conway and Latham took New Zealand to 83/0 in the first session and reached up to their fifties after the lunch. Then there was a brief rain break that forced the players indoors.
Play resumed after 20 minutes, and the New Zealand pair casually picked up from where they left off as the Conway and Latham, who'd made 83 in the first session, added 133 runs in the second session.
Conway showed remarkable concentration as the left-hander registered his sixth Test hundred, reaching the milestone off 147 balls, and struck 25 boundaries. It was his first home century since January 2022, following a 153 against Zimbabwe earlier this year. New Zealand headed for Tea at 216 for no loss.
On the other side of Tea, Latham went on to get to his century, his 15th in Tests, through a boundary off Roach, comprising 15 fours and a six from 264 balls. West Indies’ best chance came late in the day when Latham, on 104, was dropped by wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach off Anderson Phillip’s bowling with New Zealand at 253 for no loss. Soon, the pair brought up the 300 on the board.
Latham fell late on the opening day to veteran West Indies quick Kemar Roach (1-63). Conway, meanwhile, went to stumps at 178 not out, with Jacob Duffy (9 not out) at the crease as the hosts finished in control of the third Test at 334/1.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 334-1 in 90 overs (Devon Conway 178*, Tom Latham 137; Kemar Roach 1-63) vs West Indies
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