Kemar Roach scored his first Test half-century in an epic blockathon knock to help West Indies secure an improbable draw in the Christchurch Test against New Zealand.
The veteran pacer came out to bat after Tevin Imlach’s dismissal left the hosts needing just four wickets to win the Test, while West Indies still had almost 70 overs left to play to salvage a draw. He joined all-rounder Justin Greaves, in the 90s, out in the middle, and the duo went about pulling off an epic heist.
Roach went on to play 233 deliveries for his 58 runs, a majority of the 410-ball long partnership with Greaves. He survived a few close calls, a dropped catch, failed reviews and wrong umpire decisions. The most remarkable period of his innings, however, when he was on 53, and he played out 73 deliveries without scoring a single run off his bat to keep New Zealand at bay.
The duo held on until the end, with Greaves becoming the seventh batter to score a double hundred in the fourth innings of men’s Tests. The draw also gave the West Indies their first points of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle.
Roach also bagged a statement five-for on Test return
Returning to the Test side after an 11-month hiatus, Roach was also effective with the ball, his primary role. He accounted for the wickets of Devon Conway and Matt Henry in the first innings before bagging a 12th Test five-for in the second.
He dismissed Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry and Jack Duffy. In the process, he also became the oldest West Indies pacer to register a five-wicket haul in a Test innings since Courtney Walsh in 2001.
The second Test starts on December 10, in Wellington, with the third scheduled to begin on December 18, in Mount Maunganui.
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