By Alex Powell at Bay Oval
Today could hardly have gone better for Tom Latham and the Black Caps.
New Zealand finished day one of the third and final test against the West Indies on the front foot at Mt Maunganui’s Bay Oval, courtesy of their opening pair, reaching 334-1 at stumps.
Latham (137) and Devon Conway (178 not out) posted 323 runs together – New Zealand’s eighth-biggest partnership for any wicket and the 12th biggest opening stand for all nations – as both made fluent centuries.
In fact, Latham and Conway’s partnership now sits second only to Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvis’ 387 – also against the West Indies – in 1972 as New Zealand’s highest.
Compiling his first century on home soil since January 2022, Conway was the more aggressive of the two. After threatening a triple-figure score in the white-ball series against the West Indies and England, the 34-year-old finally went big on day one of this test.
Conway was fortunate early on, with more than one shot clearing the infield, but cashed in to hit 25 boundaries against a wilting attack, and can return to the crease on day two to threaten his career high-score, the 200 he made on test debut against England in 2021.
After becoming the first New Zealand captain to opt to bat first in a home test since 2011, Latham made a fluent 137 from 246 balls, and fell in the final overs of the day.
The captain was the more circumspect of the two, with just 66 of his runs coming in boundaries, but looked in complete control until his dismissal – caught by Roston Chase off the bowling of Kemar Roach (1-63), who left the field in the day’s final over, clutching his hamstring.
Arguably, Latham’s biggest challenge came before the toss, in picking whether Ajaz Patel would play his first home test since 2020, or whether the skipper would hand a debut to 24-year-old seamer Kristian Clarke.
As they’d done in the T20 and ODI series before them, the West Indies looked like a side who can’t wait to get on the plane home for Christmas. Apart from Roach’s strike, the tourists created just one realistic chance all day, when Latham was dropped on 104 by wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach at 253-0.
And with the likes of Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell still to come for the Black Caps, things could get much worse for the West Indies on day two.
Walking out to bat on a greenish pitch with hints of clouds overhead, Latham and Conway negotiated a tricky opening period on their way to 83-0 at lunch – and became the first pair to bat through a first session at Bay Oval.
While the openers gave the first hour to the bowlers, Latham and Conway made the West Indies wilt in the afternoon.
Conway reached 50 for the second successive test – doing so in 89 balls with seven boundaries – before he and Latham pushed the opening stand beyond triple figures.
At the other end, Latham was more watchful but still raised his half-century in 102 deliveries, with three boundaries and a six, hooked over fine leg. Conway raced into the 90s with a stinging array of shots, before a punch down the ground off Chase took him to his sixth test century.
Conway’s first 50 runs came in 89 balls and his second took just 58, complete with 17 boundaries, as the partnership blossomed to leave the tourists with few answers.
The 200-stand followed, as the pair became the first Kiwi openers to add a double-century for the first wicket since Latham and Jeet Raval put on 254 against Bangladesh in 2019. Latham and Conway left the field for lunch at 83-0, and added another 133 runs in the afternoon before tea arrived at 216-0.
Having returned for the evening session on 87, Latham showed no nerves in reaching his milestone, and back-cut Kemar Roach to deep backward point for four to reach his 15th test century, and second of the series in 183 deliveries.
The milestones continued as Conway passed 150 for the second time in 2025, and the duo ticked off a triple-century stand in 480 balls in the 80th over of the day.
The only blemish on the day’s play came with Latham’s exit, when he edged the new ball behind and fell to an excellent low catch by Chase.
But as Jacob Duffy (nine not out) played out the final overs, there was no doubt who the day belonged to.
New Zealand 334-1 (Conway 178 not out, Latham 137; Roach 1-63)
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.