New Zealand surged to second place on the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) standings after sealing a dominant 323-run victory over the West Indies in the third and final Test at Bay Oval on Monday.
The Black Caps wrapped up the match midway through the final day, dismissing the West Indies for 138 while defending a formidable target of 462. Left-arm pacer Jacob Duffy delivered the decisive blow,
capping off a remarkable series in which he finished with 23 wickets and was named Player of the Series.
Duffy was the standout with the ball in the final Test, claiming 5/42 in the second innings as the visitors collapsed under sustained pressure. His haul also saw him break a long-standing New Zealand record, surpassing Sir Richard Hadlee’s mark for the most wickets taken by a Kiwi in a calendar year. With 80 wickets to his name, Duffy registered his third five-wicket haul of the series.
“I saw that list (most wickets in a calendar year) at lunch time, 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 admitted.
New Zealand’s commanding position in the match was built on monumental efforts from their top order, particularly openers Devon Conway and captain Tom Latham. The pair created history by becoming the first opening partnership in Test cricket to have both batters score two centuries in the same match.
Conway etched his name into the record books with knocks of 227 and 100, becoming the first New Zealander and only the 10th player in Test history to score a double century and a century in the same Test. His extraordinary effort earned him the Player of the Match award.
“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.”
The comprehensive victory handed New Zealand a 2-0 series win, following the drawn opening Test, and marked an emphatic start to their new WTC cycle. The result lifted them above South Africa into second place on the standings, with only Australia ahead.
For the West Indies, the defeat leaves them ninth on the WTC table. They will next return to action in the middle of next year, hosting Sri Lanka and Pakistan in a home series.
New Zealand’s next challenge in the WTC will be a three-match home series against England, scheduled for the middle of next year, as they continue their push towards another appearance in the World Test Championship final.
