Rachin Ravindra came in at to face the first ball of the session – the last ball of the 33rd over after Williamson’s dismissal before lunch – and immediately made his presence felt, cracking a beautifully timed four down the ground, followed by another into the gap behind point.
He was almost put down twice, first by Roach in the 36th over with a stunning one-handed stretch and again at the close of the 38th over off Greaves, who was left fuming after a sitter went down. By then, Ravindra had reached 15 from 15 balls.
Latham continued his masterclass, bringing up his 32nd Test fifty in the 42nd over to a applause from his home crowd.
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A big appeal from a vicious Seales in-swinger in the 44th over went to review but was saved by the ball pitching outside leg, costing the West Indies a review.
By the second drinks break at the end of the 47th over, New Zealand were 163-2, with Latham on 64 not out and Ravindra 39 not out, leaving the Windies frustrated after two dropped catches and a lost review.
Ravindra brought up his fifth Test fifty in the 50th over, 53 from 52 balls, with his ninth four of the innings.
In the 54th over, another Ravindra four took New Zealand to 200 and marked the 100-run partnership with Latham. Latham then went on the attack, hitting Shields for back-to-back fours to reach 89, before a glorious drive and a quick three runs allowed him to bring up his 14th Test century and first against the West Indies just before tea.
New Zealand go to the break with Latham unbeaten on 100 and Ravindra on 70, looking to continue their commanding partnership and build on the 297 run lead after tea.
Blackcaps lead shaken as West Indies strike twice before lunch
What began as a commanding morning for New Zealand ended with a flurry of late drama that breathed new life into the West Indies.
Latham and Conway had built a strong opening stand, reaching 50 in the 16th over and taking the Blackcaps to 63-0 at the first drinks break.
Latham’s calm defence and class, alongside Conway’s proactive strokeplay, kept the innings firmly in New Zealand’s control.
The first signs of resistance came in the 24th over when Seales forced an edge from Latham, though the ball fell safely in front of second slip.
Conway then picked up another boundary before being dismissed at square third for 37, breaking the opening partnership at 84.
Kane Williamson joined Latham at the crease and helped push the Blackcaps past 100, but the session’s final moments brought unexpected drama.
On the very last ball before lunch, Williamson was caught behind off Kemar Roach, giving the West Indies their second breakthrough and injecting momentum into the contest.
New Zealand go to lunch with a lead of 164 runs, Latham unbeaten on 40, and Ravindra suspected to join him after the break.
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Blundell confirmed out as Day 3 gets underway
NZ Cricket has confirmed that wicketkeeper Tom Blundell has sustained a tear to his right hamstring after the injury he picked up on Day 1 of the first Test against the West Indies at Hagley Oval.
As a result, Blundell has been ruled out of the second Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, set to begin on 10 December.
The Blackcaps have called up Mitchell Hay, who will join the squad in Wellington on Sunday, 7 December, to provide cover for Blundell during the second Test.
Blundell’s absence means that Tom Latham will continue in the wicketkeeping role for the remainder of the match.
Latham (14 no), along with Devon Conway (15 no), will look to build on the Blackcaps’ 96-run lead in the second innings.
Join Sport Nation’s award-winning commentary team for live ball-by-ball coverage of the three-Test series between the Blackcaps and the West Indies, the first Test continues on the Sport Nation app and all New Zealand frequencies.
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