12/17/25 06:25:00
Printable Page
12/17 18:20 CST New Zealand is 83-0 at lunch on the 1st day of the 3rd cricket
test against the West Indies
New Zealand is 83-0 at lunch on the 1st day of the 3rd cricket test against the
West Indies
MOUNT MAUNGANUI, New Zealand (AP) --- Tom Latham made the rare decision to bat
first on winning the toss Thursday then joined Devon Conway to steer New
Zealand to 83 without loss at lunch on the first day of the third test against
the West Indies.
Conway was 42 and Latham was 39 at the break, having survived 28 overs in the
first session.
The last time New Zealand batted first by choice in a home test was in 2011, an
indication of the usual bowl-first nature of New Zealand pitches.
But Latham looked at a pitch carpeted in grass and still made the decision to
pad up and bat.
In a television interview Latham noted that the pitch at Bay Oval tends to
favor spin bowlers last a test match and New Zealand now avoids the need to bat
last.
New Zealand named off spinner Ajaz Patel to play his first test in five years.
While Patel became only the third player to take 10 wickets in a test innings
when he achieved the feat against India in India in 2021, he seldom is a first
choice at home.
There was a little life in the pitch early Thursday and Kemar Roach and Jayden
Seales both bowled excellent first spells with the new ball. Roach bowled six
overs for 12 runs and Seales five overs for 10 runs.
Both took the ball away from the left-handers, enticing Conway especially with
balls that arced away outside off stump.
But Latham and Conway played with restraint early on. When the opportunity
presented itself, both played well through cover and Conway also found the
boundary behind point.
New Zealand leads the three-match series 1-0 after the first test was drawn and
the Black Caps won the second by nine wickets.
____
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
|
