New Zealand Vs West Indies 3rd Test: Duffy’s Five-For Seals 323-Run Win at Mount Maunganui

New Zealand wrapped up a dominant 323-run victory over West Indies in the third Test at the Bay Oval at Mount Maunganui on Monday, bowling the visitors out for 138 on a deteriorating Day 5 surface to clinch the three-match series 2-0.

Fast bowler Jacob Duffy led the charge with a superb 5/42, finishing the series as the standout performer and underlining New Zealand’s depth despite a severely depleted pace attack.

Jacob Duffy Breaks Hadlee Record

Duffy’s five-wicket haul saw him surpass Sir Richard Hadlee’s New Zealand record of 80 wickets in a calendar year, a landmark achievement in a season where he shouldered an extraordinary workload.

The right-arm seamer finished the series with 23 wickets at an average of 15.4, including three five-wicket hauls, having bowled more than 154 overs across the three Tests as New Zealand’s pace spearhead.

“I saw that list at lunchtime and there were some cool names on there, so to be up there on any sort of list with those sort of names was special,” said Duffy, who was later named Player of the Series.

Both sides entered the series with weakened bowling line-ups. West Indies were without Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph, while New Zealand lost Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Kyle Jamieson, Nathan Smith and Blair Tickner to injury, thrusting Duffy into a leadership role.

Conway, Latham Rewrite Record Books

The third Test became a statistical feast, led by Devon Conway and Tom Latham, who produced one of the greatest opening performances in Test history.

In New Zealand’s first innings of 575/8 declared, Conway struck 227 and Latham 137, combining for a 323-run opening stand.

The pair followed it up in the second innings with centuries again – Conway making 100 and Latham 101 – as New Zealand declared at 306/2, setting West Indies an imposing 462-run target after the visitors had been bowled out for 420 in their first innings.

Conway became the 10th player in Test history – and the first New Zealander – to score a double-century and a century in the same match, while he and Latham became the first opening pair to score centuries in both innings of a Test.

Across the match, the duo amassed 515 runs, a record total for any opening pair in a single Test. Latham also emulated his father, Rod Latham, becoming part of opening partnerships of more than 100 in both innings of a Test.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Conway said. “It will take some time for me to get my head around what happened in this Test match, but I’m really glad we got the win.”

New Zealand faced criticism for delaying declarations on a pitch that remained benign for three days, but visible cracks and uneven bounce emerged from Day 4 onwards, vindicating the strategy.

Day Five Collapse As Duffy, Patel Finish Job

West Indies showed resilience late on Day 4, with Brandon King and John Campbell surviving 16 overs for 43 runs. The pair frustrated New Zealand further on Monday morning, with King reaching a brisk 67 off 63 balls.

However, both openers fell within five deliveries – Campbell for a stubborn 16 off 105 balls – triggering a collapse that saw five wickets fall before lunch, three of them to Duffy, including two sharply lifting deliveries.

After lunch, Duffy removed Roston Chase with a fierce rising ball that found Glenn Phillips, who took his third catch of the day. Shai Hope endured a torturous innings of 3 runs from 78 balls before being trapped lbw by Ajaz Patel, who claimed 3 wickets in the innings.

Patel, playing his first Test in New Zealand in five years, took his first-ever Test wicket at home in this match and entered the game with 85 career wickets.

Injured Kemar Roach (4) battled on with a hamstring issue before being bowled by Phillips, while Anderson Phillip and Tevin Imlach resisted briefly. Phillip eventually fell lbw to Rachin Ravindra, before Duffy returned to dismiss Jayden Seales, ending the innings after 80.3 overs.

Competitive Series Despite Scoreline

Despite the 2-0 result, the series was closely contested. In the first Test, West Indies chased 531 and reached 457/6, with Justin Greaves batting 564 minutes for 202 and Kemar Roach adding 58 in a near five-hour stay. It was the highest fourth-innings total in the five-day Test era.

New Zealand replied with 466/8 declared, powered by Latham’s 145 and Rachin Ravindra’s 176.

The second Test was more one-sided, as New Zealand won by nine wickets, with debutant Mitch Hay’s 61 the highest score of the match. Duffy again starred with 5 for 38, bowling West Indies out in 46.2 overs to set up a straightforward chase.

(With AP Inputs)