NZ vs WI | Twitter in awe as Conway, Latham and Duffy help Kiwis pocket series with 323-run win in final Test

‌New Zealand continued their domination over the West Indies with a majestic 323-run win in the third Test at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Monday. Openers Devon Conway and Tom Latham led the way with a stupendous batting display which saw them score centuries in each innings of the match. Meanwhile, pacer Jacob Duffy continued his impressive run with the ball this year with a nine-wicket match haul as the hosts won the three-match series by a 2-0 margin. After conceding a draw to the gritty visitors, the Kiwis bounced back to take the lead with a dominant nine-wicket win in the second game in Wellington before rounding off the series with yet another one-sided win.

After opting to bat first, Conway and Latham put on 323, coincidentally the victory margin, for the first wicket to lay the foundation for a huge first innings total. Conway hit 31 boundaries during his marathon knock of 227, which ended just short of nine hours, while skipper Latham’s 137 was laden with 15 boundaries and a six. Rachin Ravindra (72) also chipped in with an unbeaten half-century in the middle order as the home side declared their innings at 575/8, 10 overs into the final session of day two. The pace trio of Jayden Seales, Anderson Phillip and Justin Greaves toiled hard, sending down a cumulative 91 overs, to pick up two wickets each.

West Indies also responded with a spirited display to accumulate 420 runs before being bowled out in the 129th over, conceding a first-innings lead of 155 runs. Kavem Hodge was their standout performer with a patient unbeaten 123, which included 15 fours, with opener Brandon King (63) also making a valuable half-century. Pacer Duffy was the pick among the Kiwis’ bowlers with a spell of 4/86 in 35 overs, while left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel supported him nicely with a three-wicket haul.

The home side extended their stranglehold on the game with both openers coming good yet again with an association of 192 runs. The left-handed duo struck centuries and together made 515 runs in both their first-wicket partnerships. The hosts’ skipper had nine fours and two sixes in his knock of 101 with Conway also smashing eight fours and three sixes to be dismissed for 100 as they declared their second essay at 306/2. Incidentally, Hodge, who accounted for both openers with his left-arm spin, was the only Windies bowler with a wicket to his name, ending with figures of 2/80.

Left with an unenviable task of chasing 462 to pull off an unlikely win and level the series, the Windies batting faltered big time to be skittled out for just 138 runs just after the second new ball was taken in the final session of the fifth day. King finished as the visitors’ top scorer with his second half-century of the match with a knock of 67 with no other batter managing to go past the 20-run mark. Meanwhile, Duffy registered his third five-wicket haul in three matches to end with figures of 5/42 and Patel had another three-fer to his name. Conway was declared Player of the Match for his total tally of 327 runs while Duffy was the Player of the Series for his 23 scalps in three games.