Justin Greaves hit his maiden Test double century as West Indies avoided defeat in the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday. The hosts had set a target of 561, with the visitors tasked with batting for two days to avoid defeat. Greaves was well supported in his efforts by Shai Hope and Kemar Roach as WI batted out 163.3 overs, the most for them in a fourth innings since 1930.
At one moment, the visitors might have looked to chase down the massive 561-run target, but Roach was dropped and given a few chances, and those nervy moments led the West Indies to adopt a cautious approach. , Justin and Roach batted out more than two sessions together to save the Test match for West Indies.
West Indies' efforts were championed on social media, with former cricketers, fans alike all in awe. Ravichandran Ashwin lavished praise on Greaves and Hope, while also reserving special for Roach. Sehwag also joined in on the plaudits, praising their test match awareness. It is a monumental effort for the Men in Maroon who recent fell to a 2-0 defeat to India.
West Indies resumed from their overnight score of 212/4 in 74 overs with Shai Hope (116*) and Justin Greaves (55*) unbeaten on the crease. Hope was dismissed early in the day, while Tevin Imlach also did not last long. While Roach started aggressively, he later settled into a defensive approach, handing WI 4 crucial World Test Championship points. West Indies' 457/6 is the second highest 4th innings total in Test cricket history behind only England's 654/5 in 1939.
