Conway, Latham become first pair of openers to score twin tons in the same men’s Test

Devon Conway and Tom Latham continued to enjoy batting on a flat wicket at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui during New Zealand’s third Test against West Indies and in the process, achieved something never seen before in the 148-year-old history of men’s Test cricket.

Openers Conway and Latham, who made 227 and 137 respectively in the first innings, scored 100 and 101 in the second essay on the fourth day. Thus, the duo became the first pair of openers to score twin tons in the same in men’s Test.

After Latham won the toss and opted to bat first, he had a 323-run stand — the second-highest ever in Tests by New Zealand openers — with Conway in 86.4 overs on the first day. The latter went on to complete his second double century on the second day as New Zealand declared the innings on 575 for 8.

In response, West Indies registed a total of 420 in its first innings.

Latham and Conway set the tone for the host’s pursuit of quick runs in the second innings to set a target for West Indies and give the Kiwi bowlers the best chance to take all 10 wickets in a little over a day.

READ | Devon Conway becomes first-ever New Zealand batter to score century, double hundred in same Test

The duo had an opening stand of 192 in 39.3 overs during which Conway brought up his hundred in 136 balls. The 34-year-old Conway became the first-ever New Zealand batter and overall, the 10th man in Test history to score a double hundred and a ton in the same match.

Eight overs later, Latham reached the three-figure mark in 127 balls for the second time in the contest.

Conway and Latham scored a total of 565 runs in the game, which is also a record for the highest aggregate by a team’s openers in a Test. They went past the previous mark of 550 achieved by South Africa’s Graeme Smith (277 and 85) and Herschelle Gibbs (179 and 9) during a drawn Test against England in Birmingham in 2003.

The West Indies needs to make 462 — no team has scored more than 418 in the fourth innings to win in Test history — to square the three-match series after losing in Wellington and drawing in Christchurch.

Published on Dec 21, 2025