How did the first Test go between New Zealand vs West Indies? — Review, Turning Points & more

West Indies staged a remarkable fightback to salvage a draw in the first Test against New Zealand at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on December 6, after being in a precarious position earlier in the match. New Zealand posted 231 in their first innings, with Kane Williamson contributing a half-century. In response, West Indies managed 167, with fifties from Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Shai Hope, while Jacob Duffy starred for the Kiwis with a five-wicket haul.

In their second innings, New Zealand put up a commanding 466, led by Tom Latham’s 145 and Rachin Ravindra’s 176. Kemar Roach returned figures of five wickets for the visitors. Chasing a mammoth 531 for victory, West Indies showed tremendous resilience, with Shai Hope scoring 140, Justin Greaves remaining unbeaten on 202, and Roach adding an unbeaten 58 to ensure the game ended in a hard-fought draw.

Top batting performance — Justin Greaves

Right-handed batter Justin Greaves played a sensational innings in the first Test at Christchurch, scoring an unbeaten 202 off 388 balls, including 19 fours. His innings was pivotal in West Indies’ fightback, as he forged crucial partnerships with Shai Hope, who scored 196, and Kemar Roach, who added 180, helping the visitors secure a hard-fought draw.

Top bowling performance — Jacob Duffy

Right-arm pacer Jacob Duffy produced outstanding spells across both innings to keep the West Indies batters under pressure. In the first innings, he claimed 5 wickets for 34 runs in 17.4 overs, and followed it up in the second innings with 3/122, finishing the opening Test with a remarkable match performance.

Records Broken and Major Milestones Achieved

• Tom Latham reached the milestone of 6,000 Test runs, notching his 14th Test century and taking his overall tally to 22 hundreds across formats, moving past Martin Crowe’s 21 to become fifth on New Zealand’s all-time list.
• Kane Williamson also surpassed 1,000 Test runs against West Indies, becoming only the second Kiwi batter to achieve this feat after Ross Taylor.
• Justin Greaves became the fourth player from the Caribbean to score a double century and the seventh overall to achieve a double-century in the fourth innings of a Test match.

Who was the Player of the Match?

Justin Greaves was adjudged the Player of the Match in the first Test for his brilliant unbeaten 202, which played a key role in securing the draw for West Indies. He also contributed with the ball, taking 2 wickets for 35 runs, making his all-round performance instrumental against New Zealand.

What is the next match?

The second Test between New Zealand and West Indies is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, December 10, at Wellington’s Basin Reserve.