Led by herculean efforts from Justin Greaves and Kemar Roach, the West Indies produced one of the best-ever batting performances in Test history to defy the odds and secure a hard-fought draw against New Zealand in the opening Test here on Saturday.
Given little chance of batting out the day after resuming on 212 for four chasing an improbable 531 for victory, Greaves scored a dogged, unbeaten 202, while Roach was stubborn in defense during his knock of 58 not out off 233 balls, as the Windies reached 457 for six before both sides agreed to a draw late on the fifth day at Hagley Oval.
The West Indies’ total was the highest in the fourth innings of a Test match in 84 years, second behind only England’s 654 for five in 1939, which was made during a timeless Test lasting for 10 days play over 12 days.
Greaves and Roach’s unbeaten partnership of 180 was also the fifth highest for the seventh wicket for the West Indies, while the 163.3 overs they faced is the longest fourth innings in Tests for West Indies in 95 years.
The result helped the visitors register their first drawn Test in New Zealand since 2013, as well as their first points in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.
Any chances the West Indies would have had of pursuing an unlikely victory evaporated in the morning session when Shai Hope, who together with Greaves shared a 196-run stand for the fifth wicket, fell to a brilliant catch by wicketkeeper Tom Latham after Hope gloved an attempted pull off Jacob Duffy, to leave the score 268 for five.
Hope made 140 off 234 balls with 15 fours and two sixes.
And they seemed headed for defeat when Tevin Imlach was trapped lbw by Zak Foulkes nine runs later.
But the 37-year-old Roach joined Greaves in a memorable partnership that shifted the momentum of the match and at one point, made the possibility of victory a realistic one.
Together with Greaves, who resumed the day on 55, they took the West Indies to lunch at 295 for six, with the latter three runs short of a well-deserved century.
He got to his second Test century off 229 balls almost immediately after the resumption, with a single off spinner Michael Bracewell.
New Zealand, who were operating without the services of their two leading pacers Matt Henry and Nathan Smith due to injury, had only themselves to blame for not breaking the partnership.
Roach was dropped on 30 at backward square leg by Foulkes, substitute fielder Blair Tickner missed an easy opportunity to run him out when he was 35, and then also spilled an easy catch at mid on when Roach was 47.
Greaves, though, kept ploughing on, becoming the sixth West Indian to score 150 in the fourth innings of a Test, by pulling a short ball from Duffy to fine leg for a single.
Roach proved to be the perfect ally, and he reached his first-ever Test half century off 110 balls in similar fashion.
They took the Windies to tea at 399 for six, still needing a further 132 runs for victory heading into the last session.
New Zealand was unlucky not to have dismissed Roach on two more occasions, having already wasted all three of their reviews.
When he was 53 he was given not out following an appeal for lbw off the bowling of Bracewell, with the review showing the ball would have crashed into leg stump and he was also given not out for a catch behind off the same bowler, with the review showing that the ball had grazed the bat on its way through to the keeper.
Roach buckled down thereafter, scoring a mere five runs from the next 104 deliveries he faced, with the close of play looming.
Greaves reached his double century just before then by driving the 384th ball he faced from Duffy over point for the last of his 19th boundaries.
In all, he spent just over nine and a half hours at the crease and faced 388 balls. (CMC)
