Devon Conway, Tom Latham script history; break 95-year-old record to become first pair to…

New Zealand’s third Test against West Indies at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui began with a statement of dominance from the hosts, driven by a record-breaking opening stand on Day 1.

After winning the toss, New Zealand chose to bat and were immediately rewarded by Devon Conway and Tom Latham, who turned the opening session into a marathon. Conway, coming into the match just two days after going unsold at the auction, remained unbeaten on 178 at stumps, while captain Latham anchored the other end with a fluent 137. By the close of play, the pair had already etched their names into the record books.

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Their partnership of 323 for the first wicket is now the highest opening stand in the history of the World Test Championship. In the process, they moved past India’s Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal, who had put together 317 against South Africa in 2019. The list of the biggest opening partnerships in WTC history now places Conway and Latham at the top.

The stand also carried deep historical significance for New Zealand cricket. Conway and Latham surpassed a record that had stood for 95 years, registering the highest opening partnership ever by a New Zealand pair on home soil. The previous mark of 276 was set by Charles Stewart Dempster and John Ernest Mills against England in Wellington in 1930.

In the wider context of New Zealand’s Test history, the 323-run opening stand is the second-highest by any Kiwi opening pair. Only Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvis, who added 387 against West Indies in Georgetown in 1972, sit above them on that list.

What started as a strong opening day for New Zealand ultimately turned into a landmark moment, underlining both the class of Conway and Latham and the scale of their achievement in Mount Maunganui.