West Indies’ Justin Greaves, right, celebrates with teammate Kemar Roach (Andrew Cornaga/Photosport via AP) Forming one of the greatest modern-day rearguards, Justin Greaves smashed an unbeaten double century to lead West Indies to a stunning draw against New Zealand in the first Test at Hagley Oval on Saturday. Chasing a massive 531, the visitors held firm until the final day, with Greaves blocking all on his way to an unbeaten 202 as both captains eventually agreed to shake hands. West Indies finished on 457 for 6 thanks to crucial partnerships involving Shai Hope (140) and Kemar Roach (58*) who stood tall alongside eventual man of the match Greaves.
WTC points table
Despite a heroic escape, the visitors dropped to the bottom of the World Test Championship (WTC) table. After six matches in the current cycle, West Indies have five defeats and one draw, giving them a PCT of just 5.56. New Zealand, who are playing their first match of this phase, have moved up to seventh place with 33.33 PCT.
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Australia remain a dominant force at the top of the table, having won all four of their matches so far with a flawless 100 PCT. South Africa are in second place with three wins from four matches after their series win over India. Sri Lanka are ranked third with one win and one loss from their two matches. It is followed by Pakistan and India which are ranked fourth and fifth with PCT 50 and 48.15 respectively. The test itself had several ups and downs. New Zealand were dismissed for 231, with Kane Williamson’s half-century the only bright spot. West Indies shared the wickets evenly with Kemar Roach (2/47), Jayden Seales (2/44), Johann Layne (1/47), Ojay Shields (2/34), Greaves (2/35) and captain Roston Chase (1/13) contributing. West Indies’ first innings never really flourished, folding for 167, although Tagenarine Chanderpaul (52) and Hope (56) put up some resistance. New Zealand’s second innings belonged to Tom Latham and Rachin Ravindra, who put together a massive 279-run stand for the third wicket. Their efforts saw the hosts declare at 466 for 8, setting the West Indies a monumental target of 561. What followed was an extraordinary display of audacity. Hope, Greaves and Roach dug deep, defied the New Zealand bowlers and took the match to a hard-earned draw, completing one of the most memorable West Indies escapes in recent Test history.
