New Zealand bowls out West Indies for 138; to win 3rd test by 323 runs
Duffy takes 5-42 as West Indies collapse on final day
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 on Monday, clinching the three-match series 2-0.
Duffy surpassed Richard Hadlee’s New Zealand record of 80 wickets in a calendar year and finished the series with 23 wickets at an average of 15.4, including three five-wicket hauls. He bowled more than 154 overs across the three Tests as the workhorse of the New Zealand attack.
“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 names was special,” said Duffy, who was named Player of the Series.
Depleted pace attacks, runs galore
New Zealand’s win capped a series in which both teams coped with significantly depleted pace attacks and a flurry of batting records fell.
The West Indies were without Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph. Duffy emerged as 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 scored 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. West Indies were set a target of 462 after being bowled out for 420 in the first innings.
Conway became the 10th Test player, and the first New Zealander to score a double-century and a century in the same match. He and Latham also became the first opening pair to score centuries in both innings of a Test.
The pair amassed 515 runs across two innings, a record for an opening partnership. 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,” Conway said. “It will take some time to get my head around what happened in this Test match, but I’m really glad we got the win.”
Final-day drama on a breaking pitch
New Zealand faced some criticism for late declarations on a Bay Oval pitch that was relatively docile for the first three days. By Day 4, cracks had appeared and plates had begun to form, and on the final day the ball bounced irregularly.
Brandon King and John Campbell survived 16 overs on Day 4 to reach 43 without loss, leaving New Zealand needing all 10 wickets on the final day. On Monday, the openers batted through the first hour, with King reaching his half-century from 63 balls.
Both openers then fell within five balls, King for 67 and Campbell for a resolute 16 off 105 - triggering a collapse that saw five wickets fall before lunch. Duffy took three of them, including two deliveries that lifted sharply.
After lunch, Duffy dismissed Roston Chase with a ferocious ball that reared to shoulder height, giving Glenn Phillips his third catch of the day. Shai Hope laboured for 3 off 78 balls before falling lbw to Ajaz Patel, who finished with three wickets in his first Test in New Zealand in five years.
Kemar Roach, battling a hamstring injury, was bowled by Phillips. Anderson Phillip and Tevin Imlach resisted for 14 overs before Phillip fell lbw to Rachin Ravindra. Duffy returned to claim his fifth wicket by bowling Jayden Seales, ending the innings after 80.3 overs.
A competitive series despite the scoreline
Despite the 2-0 result, the West Indies were competitive for long periods. In the first Test, set 531 to win, Justin Greaves batted 564 minutes for 202 as the West Indies reached 457-6 in 163.3 overs to draw, the highest fourth-innings score since Tests were limited to five days. Kemar Roach added a near five-hour 58.
In that match, Latham scored 145 and Rachin Ravindra 176 in New Zealand’s second innings of 466-8 declared.
The second Test was a contrast, with New Zealand winning by nine wickets. Mitch Hay’s 61 on debut was the highest score for either side. The West Indies managed 205 and 128, while New Zealand made 278-9 and then cruised to 57-1 chasing 55. Duffy took 5-38 in the second innings, adding to his 5-34 in the first innings of the opening Test.
