1st Test: Hope, Greaves’s fightback keep WI alive against NZ in Christchurch
Christchurch, Dec 5 – LatestNewsX: In a thrilling first Test at Hagley Oval, West Indies were left to chase a huge 531 when New Zealand declared at 466‑8 on Friday. Shai Hope steadied the innings with an unbeaten 116, building on a 56 in the first innings, while Justin Greaves chipped in with 55 not out. Their unbroken 140‑run partnership for the fifth wicket lifted West Indies to 212‑4, keeping the chase alive.
Before lunch on Day 4, the West Indies were at 20‑0, with the New Zealand attack proving tricky. Jacob Duffy, who had grabbed a maiden five‑wicket haul earlier, cheaply removed John Campbell and Tagenarine Chanderpaul, and Michael Bracewell also took a wicket, suggesting a comfortable victory for the Black Caps. But Hope and Greaves fought back, turning the match into a high‑stakes showdown as they aimed to cover the daunting 531 run.
Hope had to leave the field on Day 3 due to conjunctivitis, but he returned, sporting sunglasses under his helmet, to finish the innings on a high. The West Indies capitalised on the limited bowling resources that remained – Matt Henry’s right‑leg calf issue, Nathan Smith’s injury, and the hamstring injury that ruled out wicket‑keeper‑batter Tom Blundell.
Henry, who had bowled 11 overs earlier yielding Roston Chase’s wicket, was kept out of the final session after a calf scan. He was seen in the nets at lunch with head coach Rob Walter and bowling coach Jacob Oram, before re‐entering the field to dismiss Chase with his fifth over, but he did not feature again after tea.
New Zealand’s batting completed a massive day of 417‑4 and then declared at 466‑8, handing West Indies a huge deficit of 319. The scorecard saw Rachin Ravindra top‑score with 176 and Tom Latham with 145, while Kemar Roach took 5‑78. On the West Indies side, Shai Hope’s unbeaten 116, Justin Greaves’ 56 not out, and Jacob Duffy’s 2‑for‑65 gave the host side a fight into the final day.
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