new zealand opening batsman devon conway And Tom Latham On Sunday, he registered his name in the record books by achieving a feat never achieved before in the history of Test cricket.
Batting on the flat surface of the Bay Oval, the pair scored centuries in both innings of the same Test match, becoming the first opening combination to do so.
After registering brilliant centuries in the first innings, Latham and Conway came back in the second innings to once again dominate the bowling and display relentless determination and remarkable stamina. His achievement has added a historic chapter to the long and storied past of Test cricket.
Devon Conway and Tom Latham scored quick centuries on the fourth day of the third test.
With New Zealand leading by 155 runs in the first innings, the hosts took an aggressive approach in their second innings and their openers performed strongly. Latham and Conway made an opening partnership of 192 runs, which complemented the huge stand of 323 runs made earlier in the match.
Both batsmen scored at a pace unusual for Test cricket, constantly rotating the strike and punishing loose balls. His fast running between the wickets came to the fore, putting pressure on the fielding side despite spending long periods of time at the crease early in the game.
New Zealand scored 306/2 in just 54 overs, underlining their attacking intent and the match heading rapidly towards a result.
After the openers, New Zealand’s middle order continued in the same aggressive style. Kane Williamson scored 40 not out from 37 balls, while Rachin Ravindra scored 46 not out from just 23 balls in what turned out to be a T20-style pace.
Understanding the match situation, New Zealand declared their second innings at 302/2 about an hour before stumps, leaving West Indies a tough target of 462 runs.
Conway and Latham join elite company
Conway’s second innings century added to his first innings score of 227, making him the sixth New Zealander to score centuries in both innings of a Test. Shortly afterwards, Latham did the same and moved from 80 to 101 at tea after scoring 137 in the first innings – becoming the seventh player for his country to achieve the double.
Conway also joins the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Kumar Sangakkara and Graham Gooch in the illustrious global list of players to score a double century and a century in the same Test.
Collectively, Latham and Conway set a world record for opening wickets with 515 runs in the entire match, a feat that underlined the scale of their dominance.
Also read: Top 5 biggest opening partnerships for New Zealand in Tests. Devon Conway and Tom Latham
West Indies make history as they head towards the final day
At stumps on the fourth day, West Indies were 43 without loss, with Brandon King unbeaten on 37 and John Campbell unbeaten on two runs. However, they Still need 419 more runs to win,
No team has ever successfully chased more than 418 runs in the fourth innings of a Test, making the task historically difficult. For West Indies, with one loss and one draw in the series, they will have to beat history to level the three-match series.
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