Cricket: Henry Nicholls and Tom Latham - The Black Caps' breakout test stars of 2018

Henry Nicholls and Tom Latham of the Black Caps. Photo / Photosport

The Black Caps will end 2018 far more secure in their test batting lineup than when they began, thanks largely to Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls.

The Canterbury duo have made the leap from promising players to consistent contributors, finishing their calendar year by both carving superb centuries against Sri Lanka at their home Hagley Oval ground.

Latham reached 150 in consecutive tests with his 176, while Nicholls finished on 162 not out, barely offering a chance in his highest test score. They were performances which ensured the pair hold the best averages of any test player with more than 600 runs this year – Nicholls has scored 658 runs at an average of 73.11, and Latham has 658 runs at 59.81. (Kane Williamson is third at 59.18).

Black Caps batting coach Craig McMillan praised the pair for the improvements they've made in the past year.

"There's been a lot of development from both those players. They're two guys that love batting and love spending time at the crease. That's pretty important as a Test batsman. You have to be prepared to bat time. You have to have discipline around a gameplan. I think both those players showed that they're prepared to let balls go. They are prepared to be patient in their areas to score from. They did that over a long period of time. That was part of their success."

Still only 26, Latham has recorded the second most runs by a New Zealand opener, at an average of 41.59, while Nicholls has established himself as a long-term number five with three centuries in 2018.

The pair added 214 for the fourth wicket, and Nicholls was full of praise for Latham, saying it was a special partnership.

"We're really great mates, we carpool every morning together to the ground.

"You look back at the 260 in Wellington and for him to come out yesterday in the second innings and basically hit reset and do all that hard work again is pretty cool. He's a very resilient guy and is one of the most hard-working guys I know. To see him have the discipline to do that for another 300 balls in this innings and to be out there batting with him was pretty special. He's a really inspirational guy and player.

"The way he batted yesterday and continued that on today like he did at the Basin last week gave me a lot of inspiration to try and do the same, and put us a team in a position where we're now in a chance to win the game with a lot of time left."

Nicholls also credited the selectors for sticking with him through an inconsistent start to his test career.

"I think I was really lucky. I learned a lot early in my career through a lot of failure. I consider myself very grateful and lucky the selectors and everyone in the team had a lot of confidence and faith in me that I'd use those experiences to make me a better player."

The selectors' faith has made off, and they'll be hoping to get more top performances from Nicholls and Latham in 2019.