Justin Greaves And Kemar Roach Recorded his name in Test cricket history by making a record breaking unbeaten partnership for the seventh wicket to save West Indies. First test against New Zealand At Hagley Oval, Christchurch. The duo added 180 unbroken runs in the fourth innings to deny the hosts victory in the opening match of the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle – the highest seventh-wicket partnership ever recorded in a Test run chase.
Chasing a mammoth target of 531, West Indies were looking towards defeat at 277/6 on the final day when Greaves and Roach combined. However, what happened next was one of the greatest acts of defiance by the lower order in modern Test cricket.
Justin Greaves’ double century and Kemar Roach’s career-best resistance rewrites records
Greaves played a monumental innings under pressure, finishing with a marathon innings of 202 not out from 388 balls, and handled the innings with remarkable composure and stamina. Known more for his new-ball spells than his batting, Roach played the biggest innings of his life – 58 not out off 233 balls, the most balls faced by a player ranked No. 8 or lower in the fourth innings.
They combined to concede 409 balls, blunting New Zealand’s world-class attack amid fading light and rising tension in Christchurch.
Their unbeaten 180-run partnership eclipsed the long-standing record of 160 runs Sachin Tendulkar and Manoj Prabhakar for India against Pakistan at Old Trafford in 1990 – the highest partnership for the seventh wicket in the last innings of a Test match.
While the overall Test seventh-wicket record is still held by West Indies’ Dennis Atkinson and Clairmonte DePiazza (347 vs Australia, 1955), Greaves and Roach now have the distinction of owning the dominant stand in the uniquely challenging setting of a fourth-innings Test chase.
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Top 7th wicket in the fourth innings of test matches
- Justin Greaves & Roston Chase (West Indies) – 180* vs New Zealand, Christchurch, 2025
- Sachin Tendulkar and Manoj Prabhakar (India) – 160 vs England, Manchester, 1990
- Richie Benaud and Alan Davidson (Australia) – 134 vs West Indies, Brisbane, 1960
- Ajit Agarkar and VVS Laxman (India) – 126 vs England, Lord’s, 2002
- Ashok de Silva and Ravi Ratnayake (Sri Lanka) – 124 vs Australia, Hobart, 1989
- Jacob Oram and Daniel Vettori (New Zealand) – 124 vs Sri Lanka, Colombo (SSC), 2009
- Dave Nourse and Gordon White (South Africa) – 121 vs England, Johannesburg, 190