A Christchurch classic: West Indies carve out a fourth-innings Everest

West Indies held out New Zealand for 163.3 overs in the fourth innings to secure a famous draw in the first Test of the series in Christchurch. Stats highlights from the batting blockathon.

A Herculean batting effort

457/6 by West Indies is the second-highest ever fourth-innings total in the history of Test cricket spanning across almost 149 years. The only higher total came in a timeless Test where England made 654/5 against South Africa in Durban in 1939.

Highest fourth innings totals

163.3 overs batted out by West Indies is the ninth-longest fourth innings in terms of balls faced and only the second instance of a team batting 160+ overs in fourth innings in the 21st century, behind Pakistan’s 171.4 overs against Australia in Karachi in 2022.

Justin Greaves etches his name in history

7 Greaves became only the seventh batter to register a double century in fourth innings of Tests, and he is the first to do so batting at No. 6 or lower. Four of those 7 are from West Indies, with Kyle Mayers’ effort in Chattogram in 2021 the most recent.

Double hundreds in the fourth innings

3 Greaves is now only the third player batting at No. 6 or lower to register a double in the second innings of a team (3rd/4th innings of a Test). The first to do so was Don Bradman, who hit 270 batting at #7 against England in Melbourne in 1937. Jason Holder was the last player to do so when he hit an unbeaten 202 from No.8 against England at Bridgetown in 2019.

2 Greaves is now only the second player to score a double hundred in the second innings after getting dismissed for nought in the first innings. He emulated South Africa’s Dudley Nourse, who made 231 against England in Johannesburg in 1935.

2 Greaves became only the second batter to be involved in two 150+ partnerships in fourth innings of a Test: 196 with Shai Hope and 180* with Kemar Roach. The only other player to do so was Sunil Gavaskar against England at the Oval in 1979, where he put on 213 for the first wicket with Chetan Chauhan and 153 with Dilip Vengsarkar for the second.

A partnership for the ages

180* The seventh-wicket stand of 189 between Greaves and Roach is the highest ever for seventh-wicket or lower in fourth innings of Tests eclipsing 160* between Manoj Prabhakar and Sachin Tendulkar at Old Trafford in 1990. It also happens to be the longest in terms of balls faced (409) for seventh-wicket or later in fourth innings.

138 Roach needed 138 innings to register his maiden Test fifty – the longest wait in history. Only four others have reached their first 50 after 100 innings: James Anderson (131), Ishant Sharma (126), Glenn McGrath (115), and Kagiso Rabada (110).

At 37 years and 155 days, Roach became the fourth-oldest player to score a fifty and take a five-for in the same Test. Only Ravichandran Ashwin, Bevan Congdon, and Learie Constantine were older when achieving the double.

Oldest to the double of 50 & a five-fer in a Test

21It was the first draw in New Zealand in 21 Tests, the last coming against England in Hamilton in December 2019. Only three result streaks in a host country have gone longer: Australia’s 87 Tests between 1883 and 1946, South Africa’s recent run of 38, and Sri Lanka’s 28 between 2014 and 2021