Brandon King and John Campbell produced a composed and confident opening stand to guide the West Indies to 110 without loss at stumps on day two of the third Test, after New Zealand declared their first innings at a mammoth 575 for 8 at Mount Maunganui on Friday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Facing more than an hour of hostile new-ball bowling in fading light, King and Campbell comfortably negotiated 23 overs to blunt the New Zealand attack on a flat Bay Oval surface. King was unbeaten on 55 from just 62 balls, striking nine fours, while Campbell finished the day on 45 not out off 60 deliveries, including seven boundaries. Despite the solid start, the West Indies still trail by 465 runs.
New Zealand’s declaration followed a monumental batting effort led by opener Devon Conway, who compiled a magnificent 227. His innings laid the platform for late acceleration, with Rachin Ravindra adding a fluent 72 not out, featuring six fours and two sixes, and Ajaz Patel chipping in with a rapid 30 not out as captain Tom Latham sought to give his bowlers maximum time to make inroads.However, New Zealand’s seamers struggled to find a consistent length, allowing the West Indian openers to score freely and seize some momentum at the close of play.The tourists’ effort was all the more commendable given their mounting injury concerns. Campbell batted through visible discomfort after being struck on his sore right hand during nets, while Kemar Roach, nursing a hamstring strain, remains doubtful to bat. Leading batter Shai Hope was also unwell and did not take the field, staying back at the team hotel.Earlier in the day, the West Indies bowling attack showed resilience after lunch, claiming five New Zealand wickets in the session and forcing the hosts to abandon hopes of batting deep into the evening. Three bowlers shared two wickets apiece, with Justin Greaves leading the way with 2 for 83 from 29 overs. Jayden Seales (2-100) and Anderson Phillip (2-154) also chipped in.Seales produced a sharp spell to remove Conway lbw on 227, before further strikes after tea, including the wickets of Glenn Phillips and Zak Foulkes, stemmed the flow of runs.Reflecting on the day, Greaves praised his side’s effort in adversity. “After the day we had yesterday, actually to come today and get eight wickets, it’s a really, really good effort from our boys,” he said.
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