On the opening day of the third and final Test at Bay Oval, new zealandis the opening pair of devon conway And Tom Latham Rewrote the record books with an absolute masterclass in batting. After captain Latham won the toss and elected to bat first on a Mount Maunganui surface that featured early grass, the Black Caps openers completely decimated the West Indies bowling attack.
By the end of play, New Zealand reached an astonishing score of 334/1 after 90 overs, capping a day of total dominance. Conway played a brilliant inning of 178 runs in 279 balls, while Latham supported him by playing a disciplined inning of 137 runs in 246 balls. The visiting team’s bowlers led the way. Kemar Roach And jaden sealsWorked hard all day without getting a single success except Latham. This record-breaking opening stand has put New Zealand in a prime position to win the series 2–0.
Unbeaten triple century partnership of Devon Conway and Tom Latham
The story of the first day was completely dictated by Conway and Latham, who frustrated West Indies with an unbeaten partnership of 319 runs. Conway was particularly aggressive, hitting 25 fours as he clinically smashed anything through the off-side to reach his second highest individual score of 172.
On the other side of the crease, Latham played the anchor role with surgical precision, grinding out the bowlers before opening the day and being dismissed for 137 with 15 fours and a six before the end of the first day’s play. Their 323-run partnership is now the second highest opening partnership for New Zealand against the West Indies in Test history, breaking all previous records. The pair showed remarkable fitness and concentration while batting without giving any clear chance to the fielders in all three sessions in the heat of the Bay Oval.
West Indies bowling attack struggling for success
It was a day to forget for the West Indies bowling unit, as they failed to take a single wicket despite using seven different bowling options. Roach, the experienced leader of the group and the lone wicket-taker, ended the day with figures of 1/63 from 19 overs, while jaden seals Was a little more expensive, giving away 67 runs in his 21 overs. Even the captain’s introduction Roston ChaseSpin could not break the deadlock, as New Zealand’s openers used their feet expertly to deny any turn from the Bay Oval pitch.
The West Indies bowlers lacked the consistent line and length required to put pressure on batsmen of this calibre, and as the partnership grew, fielding standards began to decline with several lapses in depth. By the final session, the Caribbean team looked physically and mentally exhausted, as the opening pair’s ‘triple-ton’ became a reality. With only one wicket to show for their 90-over effort, the visitors will face a tough challenge to bounce back in a match that is fast slipping away on the second day.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Tom Latham and Usman Khawaja
I would say the best Test openers in the last decade are probably Dean Elgar and Dimuth Karunaratne.#AUSvENG #NZvWI pic.twitter.com/oLoqjXnO5z
-Dev (@AFC_Dev17) 18 December 2025
🇳🇿Tom Latham’s 15th Test century!
As an Indian fan, Latham is one of the most reliable Test openers of this generation and is also an excellent ODI batsman. pic.twitter.com/S5MmQT1XMk
– Ajay Pandey (@AjayPandeyAas) 18 December 2025
So, Latham/Conway now have the second highest opening partnership @blackcaps Test history. https://t.co/ROhoA7FFyi
– Michael Appleton (@michelappleton) 18 December 2025
Highest 200 stand partnership for NZ
Williamson-Taylor 3
Williamson-Nicholls 3
crow-jones 2
Williamson-McCullum 2
Latham – Conway 2#NZvWI– Michael Wagner (@Mykuhl) 18 December 2025
The highest opening partnership in all F/C cricket in New Zealand is 428 by PJ Ingram (245*) and JM How (176) for Central Districts vs Wellington on 5 December 2009. This is also a record opening partnership for the fourth innings.#NZvWI
– arthur_s (@allanholloway) 18 December 2025
Devon Conway’s sixth Test century. New Zealand’s bold decision to bat first paid off. Unwanted criticism of Conway must now be silenced.
– Alex Chapman (@AlexChapmanNZ) 18 December 2025
2 centuries for Latham + a match-winning innings in the 3rd ODI and 1 century, a half-century and a 90 for Conway in this series
Both return to their best form when we need them and silence the haters
– Faris (@Faris_KW22) 18 December 2025
That relief on Conway’s face says it all Man, this domestic season has really revived his career and he is back to playing like his peak 2020-23 version. pic.twitter.com/zPQhl43RRb
– Sivy 🇮🇳 (@Sivy_Raina3) 18 December 2025
You don’t often see 300 run partnerships in Tests.
Rare even being an opener, Conway and Latham played well #NZvWI
– Callum (@bombers83) 18 December 2025
A
