Cricket Apr 24, 2026

New Zealand vs West Indies: Hosts secure Test series victory after succession of records broken in third match

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
New Zealand vs West Indies: Hosts secure Test series victory after succession of records broken in third match

Jacob Duffy took 5-42 as New Zealand bowled out the West Indies for 138 on a deteriorating fifth-day pitch to win the third Test by 323 runs and take the three-match series 2-0.

Duffy surpassed Richard Hadlee's New Zealand record of wickets in a calendar year and finished the series with 23 at an average of 15.4 including three five-wicket hauls. He bowled more than 154 overs as the workhorse of the New Zealand attack in the three Tests.

"I saw that list at lunchtime and there were some cool names on there, so to be up there on any sort of list with those sort of names was special," Duffy, who was voted Player of the Series, said of his bowling record.

New Zealand's win ended a series in which both teams had to cope with significantly depleted pace attacks and a slew of batting records fell.

The West Indies were without Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph. Duffy became New Zealand's pace spearhead after injuries sidelined Matt Henry, Will O'Rourke, Ben Sears, Kyle Jamieson, Nathan Smith and Blair Tickner.

The third Test was a feast for statisticians.

Devon Conway made 227 and Tom Latham 137 in a 323-run opening stand in New Zealand's first innings of 575-8 declared.

Conway then made 100 and Latham 101 in a partnership of 192 in the second innings before New Zealand declared at 306-2, leaving West Indies a target of 462 to win after being bowled out for 420 in the first innings.

Conway was the 10th Test player and first New Zealander to score a double-century and a century in the same match and he and Latham were the first openers to score centuries in both innings of a Test.

Latham and Conway accumulated 515 runs across two innings, a record total for an opening pair. Latham also followed his father, Rod, by featuring in opening partnerships of more than 100 in both innings of a Test.

"I don't think it's sunk in yet. It will take some time for me to get my head around what happened in this Test match," Conway said, "but I'm really glad we got the win."

New Zealand faced some criticism for the lateness of their declarations in both innings on a pitch at Bay Oval which had been relatively docile for the first three days. Cracks had appeared and plates had begun to form by Day Four and on the last day, the ball had begun to bounce irregularly.

Still, Brandon King and John Campbell survived 16 overs and scored 43 before stumps, leaving New Zealand needing to take all 10 wickets on the last day to win.

Campbell and King then batted through the first hour Monday to frustrate the New Zealand bowlers. King reached his half-century from 63 balls.

But both openers were out within five balls - King for 67 and Campbell for a dogged 16 from 105 balls - and that provoked a slump that saw five wickets fall before lunch. Duffy took three of those, two with deliveries that lifted uncomfortably.

Duffy then dismissed Roston Chase after lunch with a ferocious ball that reared to shoulder height from just short of a length, giving Glenn Phillips his third catch of the day.

Shai Hope batted 78 balls for 3 runs and was out lbw, kicking away a full toss on his off stump to give Ajaz Patel his third wicket of the day. Patel had 85 career wickets coming into this test, which was his first in New Zealand for five years. His first wicket of the match was his first-ever wicket in a test in New Zealand.

Kemar Roach (4) batted with a hamstring injury and was bowled by a ball from Phillips which turned and took the inside edge.

Anderson Phillip and Tevin Imlach held out for 14 overs until Phillip (10) fell lbw to Rachin Ravindra. Duffy returned to claim his fifth wicket and end the innings after 80.3 overs when he bowled Jayden Seales.

Tags:

cricket news

Share this article

Related Posts

Women's T20 World Cup: England's Heather Knight says landscape of women’s sport different to 2017 and targets legacy like Lionesses, Red Roses

Women's T20 World Cup: England's Heather Knight says landscape of women’s sport different to 2017 and targets legacy like Lionesses, Red Roses

Heather Knight has told Your Site England's ambition at their home Women's T20 World Cup starting in June is to "create a real legacy for women's cric...

Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Free live cricket stream of all England, Scotland, Ireland games and final on Sky Sports App

Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Free live cricket stream of all England, Scotland, Ireland games and final on Sky Sports App

Your Site will make all 12 group matches involving England, Scotland and Ireland, as well as the semi-finals and final of the 2026 ICC Women's T20 Wor...

Jude Bellingham invests in Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred: 'I owe the city', says Real Madrid and England star

Jude Bellingham invests in Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred: 'I owe the city', says Real Madrid and England star

Real Madrid and England's Jude Bellingham feels he "owes" the city of Birmingham after he was announced as a new investor in The Hundred's Birmingham...

Sonny Baker presses England Test claims as Hampshire captain Ben Brown praises fast bowler's 'huge ceiling'

Sonny Baker presses England Test claims as Hampshire captain Ben Brown praises fast bowler's 'huge ceiling'

Hampshire fast bowler Sonny Baker was hailed as having "a huge ceiling" as the 23-year-old talent further pressed his England claims by taking a five-...

County Championship: Vintage James Anderson display inspires Lancashire victory over Derbyshire

County Championship: Vintage James Anderson display inspires Lancashire victory over Derbyshire

James Anderson rolled back the years with a brilliant intervention to bowl Lancashire to a surprise last-day win over Derbyshire.Anderson, now 43 and...

James Rew: Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain discuss England Test call-up prospects for Somerset star

James Rew: Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain discuss England Test call-up prospects for Somerset star

Who are England's Test match candidates? Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain discuss the impact of James Rew in the County Championship.Rew is the mos...