West Indies all-rounder Justin Greaves became the seventh player ever to score a fourth-innings double-hundred in a marathon final-day effort to secure an unlikely draw in Christchurch.
Greaves came to the crease when West Indies were staring down the barrel of defeat at 72-4. They had been set a mammoth 531 runs to chase by New Zealand, after both Tom Latham and Rachin Ravindra scored hundreds in their second innings. West Indies had been bowled out for 167 in their first innings. in which Greaves had been caught behind for a duck.
After joining Shai Hope in the middle, the middle-order pair set about grinding the game down, putting on 196 runs for the fifth wicket. Their partnership lasted 384 balls and gave West Indies hope that a remarkable chase might be possible. However, Hope was dismissed for 140, and Tevin Imlach lasted only nine balls before he was trapped lbw, leaving West Indies 277-6. Greaves, however, carried on. He reached his century off 229 balls, his second in Test cricket.
1st Test, New Zealand vs West Indies
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Now batting with Kemar Roach, the pair formed an unbreakable wall, with Roach at one point blocking out 73 deliveries in a row. As the situation changed from West Indies chasing a win to looking to secure the draw, the focus became whether Greaves could reach a rare double before time was called.
With two overs minimum remaining in the day, Greaves started the over on 197. He blocked out four dots, with Roach sending him back from a single on the fourth. Then, he swiped at a tired delivery from Jacob Duffy, which went up and over gully to the boundary. Four balls later, a draw was agreed.
Greaves is only the seventh player to score a double-hundred in the fourth innings of a Test match. More than half of those players have been West Indies' batters, with Kyle Mayers (2021), Gordon Greenidge (1984), and George Headley (1930), all on the list. The highest score ever made in a fourth innings remains Greenidge's 223. West Indies' score of 457-6 was also the highest fourth-innings total in a non-timeless Test.
Full list: Every player to score a fourth-innings double-hundred
| Player | Score | Team | Opposition | Venue | Year |
| Justin Greaves | 202* | West Indies | New Zealand | Christchurch | 2025 |
| Kyle Mayers | 210* | West Indies | Bangladesh | Chattogram | 2021 |
| Nathan Astle | 222 | New Zealand | England | Christchurch | 2002 |
| Gordon Greenidge | 214* | West Indies | England | Lord's | 1984 |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 221 | India | England | The Oval | 1979 |
| John Edrich | 219 | England | South Africa | Durban | 1939 |
| George Headley | 223 | West Indies | England | Kingston | 1930 |
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