Ben Stokes was going to be the centre of attention during the England vs New Zealand 3rd Test. The all-rounder, who was suspended from the previous game for breaching the curfew protocol, returned to a rousing reception when he walked out for the toss alongside New Zealand captain Tom Latham. A few hours later, Stokes had a frown on his face, and the crowd was gloomy.
New Zealand, after opting to bat first, piled on the pain on England. On a virtually flat-batting track, Latham and Devon Conway didn’t just bat out the opening hour; they remained in the middle for over two sessions. It was spotless batting. There were no dropped catches or half-chances.
Latham & Conway ton up
Even Jofra Archer or Josh Tongue didn’t trouble the batters. Granted, the surface wasn’t that conducive to bowlers, but Latham and Conway didn’t put a wrong foot forward. After the first session, there was still some hope. Towards the end of the first session, Latham joined the ranks of New Zealand legends.
Back-to-back boundaries against Ben Stokes in the 51st over saw the Kiwi captain register his 17th hundred in Test cricket, equalling Martin Crowe, considering the greatest Kiwi batter alongside Kane Williamson. In that same over, Latham and Conway become the first New Zealand openers since Stewie Dempster and Jackie Mills in 1930 to put on a 200-run stand against England.
Conway had to wait for his 8th Test hundred as Tea was taken with him on 94. He didn’t take long to get there, cutting Shoaib Bashir for a boundary in the 56th over. But they were in no mood to stop. In the 61st over, the 250-run stand came up, and they were just a few runs away from breaking Dempster and Mills’ record of 276.
Incidentally, the moment the partnership was worth 276, the record, Jamie Smith dropped Latham on 129. It was the first real opportunity for England in 63.1 overs, but the keeper let it go. 2 balls later, Latham played a pull for a boundary and smashed the 96-year-old record.
Most hundreds for New Zealand in Test cricket
| Batter | Span | Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s |
| Kane Williamson | 2010-2026 | 110 | 195 | 9515 | 251 | 54.06 | 51.97 | 33 | 38 |
| Ross Taylor | 2007-2022 | 112 | 196 | 7683 | 290 | 44.66 | 59.29 | 19 | 35 |
| Martin Crowe | 1982-1995 | 77 | 131 | 5444 | 299 | 45.36 | 44.65 | 17 | 18 |
| Tom Latham | 2014-2026 | 95* | 170 | 6404 | 264* | 39.28 | 48.03 | 17 | 31 |
| John Wright | 1978-1993 | 82 | 148 | 5334 | 185 | 37.82 | 35.26 | 12 | 23 |
