Hope 116*, Roach 5-78 help West Indies force 5th Day of 1st New Zealand Test  

New Zealand 231 & 466-8 dec. (Ravindra 176, Latham 145, Roach 5-78) need 6 wickets to beat West Indies 167 & 212-4 (Hope 116*, Greaves 55*, Jacob Duffy 2-65)

Fight, at last! A 140-run unbroken fifth-wicket stand between Shai Hope and Justin Greaves has ensured that the first Test between the West Indies and New Zealand in Christchurch will go the distance. 

Hope’s 116* was as fluent as it was timely. His knock pioneered West Indies’ recovery from 2 for 25 to 212 for 4 at stumps in their second innings.

The Caribbean side lost openers John Campbell (15) and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (6) cheaply, while Alick Athanaze (5) once again failed to stick around. Hope, however, found a partner in Greaves, who fought his way to a gritty 55*.

The pair will resume batting when the visitors begin the final day, still an unimaginable 319 runs from victory.

New Zealand, who began the day on 417 for 4, added 49 runs before declaring prior to lunch. Kemar Roach claimed three additional wickets in the session to complete a 12th Test match five-wicket haul. His 5 for 78 helped the West Indies exhaust New Zealand’s batting resources. 

The hosts were forced to declare on 466 at the fall of the eighth wicket, as injuries to wicket-keeper Tom Blundell and seamer Nathan Smith meant both were unavailable to bat. This left the West Indies with a mammoth and unlikely 531-run target for victory.