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On the opening day of the third and final Test at Bay Oval, New Zealand’s 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 appeared to offer some early grass, the Black Caps openers completely nullified the West Indies’ bowling attack.
By the close of play, New Zealand reached a staggering 334/1 after 90 overs, marking a day of total dominance. Conway led the charge with a magnificent 178 off 279 balls*, while Latham complemented him perfectly with a disciplined 137 off 246 balls. The visitors’ bowlers, led by Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales, toiled throughout the day without finding a single breakthrough except of Latham. This record-breaking opening stand has put New Zealand in a prime position to sweep the series 2-0.
Devon Conway and Tom Latham’s unbeaten triple-century stand
The narrative of Day 1 was dictated entirely by Conway and Latham, who shared an unbeaten partnership of 319 runs to leave the West Indies demoralized. Conway was particularly aggressive, striking 25 boundaries as he clinically dispatched anything loose 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 down the bowlers before opening up late in the day to finish on 137 with 15 fours and one six, getting out before the close of the first day play. Their partnership of 323 is now the second highest opening stand for New Zealand against the West Indies in Test history, eclipsing all previous records. The pair showed remarkable fitness and concentration, batting through all three sessions in the Bay Oval heat without offering any clear-cut chances to the fielders.
West Indies bowling attack struggles for breakthroughs
It was a day to forget for the West Indies bowling unit, as they failed to take a single wicket despite utilizing seven different bowling options. Roach, the veteran leader of the pack and the lone-wicket taker, finished the day with figures of 1/63 from 19 overs, while Jayden Seales was slightly more expensive, conceding 67 runs in his 21 overs. Even the introduction of captain Roston Chase’s spin could not break the deadlock, as the New Zealand openers used their feet expertly to negate any turn from the Bay Oval pitch.
The West Indies bowlers lacked the consistent line and length required to pressure batsmen of this caliber, and as the partnership grew, the fielding standards began to slip with several fumbles in the deep. By the final session, the Caribbean side looked physically and mentally exhausted, as the ‘triple-ton’ from the opening pair became a reality. With only a wicket to show for their 90 overs of effort, the visitors face a mountain of a task on Day 2 to try and claw their way back into a match that is rapidly slipping away.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Tom Latham and Usman Khawaja
The best Test openers in the last decade I would say, probably alongside Dean Elgar and Dimuth Karunaratne.
— Dave (@AFC_Dev17)
🇳🇿 15th Test Century for Tom Latham!
As an Indian fan, credit where it’s due Latham is one of the most reliable Test openers of this generation and a classy ODI batter too. 👏🔥
— Ajay Pandey (@AjayPandeyAas)
So, Latham/Conway have now shared the second highest opening partnership in Test history.
— Michael Appleton (@michelappleton)
Partnerships with the most 200 stands for NZ
Williamson – Taylor 3
Williamson – Nicholls 3
Crowe – Jones 2
Williamson – McCullum 2
Latham – Conway 2— Michael Wagener (@Mykuhl)
The highest opening partnership in all f/c cricket in New Zealand is 428 by PJ Ingram (245*) & JM How (176) for Central Districts v Wellington on 5 December 2009. This is also the record opening partnership for the 4th innings
— Arthur_S (@allanholloway)
A sixth test century for Devon Conway. It was bold of New Zealand to choose to bat first, its’s paid off. Undeserved criticism of Conway should now be silenced.
— Alex Chapman (@AlexChapmanNZ)
2 hundreds for Latham + a match winning knock in the 3rd ODI and 1 century , half century and a 90 for Conway in this series
Both back to their best form when we need them while shutting haters up 💙🖤
— Faaris (@Faaris_KW22)
That relief on Conway’s face says everything man, this home season really revived his career and he’s back to playing like his peak 2020-23 version
— SIVY 🇮🇳 (@Sivy_Raina3)
Not often you see a 300 run partnership in Tests
Even rarer being openers, well played Conway and Latham
— Callum (@Bombers83)
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