Justin Greaves produced a nine-and-a-half-hour batting masterclass before walking into Caribbean lore after his maiden test double hundred secured an unlikely draw for West Indies in the opening test against New Zealand on Saturday.
The 31-year-old’s unbeaten 202 was the bedrock of West Indies’ 457-6, the second-highest fourth-innings total in test match history, in pursuit of an improbable victory target of 531 at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval.
His method was more metronome than fireworks and while it came against a New Zealand attack depleted by mid-match injuries to seamers Nathan Smith and Matt Henry, Greaves’ 388-ball vigil forced a draw and fetched his team’s first points in the new World Test Championship cycle.
Greaves forged a 196-run stand with Shai Hope (140) and then raised 180 with Kemar Roach (58) for the unbroken seventh wicket for a pride-restoring draw that felt as good as a win.
“Special day for me, special day for the team,” player of the match Greaves said afterwards.
“We were pretty much up against it. So, to come out here, bat a whole day (was special)… A really, really special day for us as a group.”
West Indies did not push for an unlikely victory in the final session and Greaves felt he and his team displayed enough resilience with their second-innings batting.
“It’s a word that we’ve thrown around in the dressing room a lot. So for me to be there at the end was really important. Anything for the team at the end of the day,” he said.
West Indies skipper Roston Chase saluted Greaves and Roach for the spectacular rearguard action.
“Obviously, a Herculean effort by Justin Greaves, proud of him,” Chase said of his teammate.
“He’s someone that I grew up playing cricket with, so I’m very proud for this moment, for him, and obviously Kemar Roach…He’s a modern-day legend. I’m happy for these guys, and happy that we could achieve what we did.”
New Zealand captain Tom Latham rued falling short of a victory but found solace in being part of a classic test match.
“It was a test match that had it all,” he said.
“For it to head down to the final hour with all three results on the cards – it was a great test match to be involved in.”
(Reuters)
