Greaves on his historic 200 as West Indies salvage draw against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval in the 1st Test.
Justin Greaves described the occasion as an unforgettable moment for both himself and the West Indies side after he and Kemar Roach produced a remarkable rear-guard effort to deny New Zealand victory in the opening Test at Hagley Oval.
Chasing a seemingly impossible target of 531 — one that had never been successfully overhauled in Test history — the pair combined for an unbeaten 180-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Greaves anchored the resistance with a monumental unbeaten 202 from 388 deliveries, while Roach provided equally stubborn support with 58 not out from 233 balls. Together, they carried West Indies through a marathon 163.3 overs to 457 for 6, the second-largest fourth-innings total ever recorded in Test cricket, surpassed only by England’s epic 654 for 5 against South Africa in Durban in 1939.
“[It was] just pretty much being resilient – the word we’ve thrown around in the dressing room a lot,” said Greaves, who also battled cramps towards the end of his innings. “So for me, to be there at the end was really important. So anything for the team at the end of the day.
“I had a really long chat with coach Floyd Reifer. And he was saying, once you get in, stay in; it’s a good pitch. Rachin [Ravindra] and [Tom] Latham showed us in the second innings. So it was just for us to go out there and play ourselves.”
The innings marked a career-defining moment for Greaves, standing not only as his top Test return but also the finest score of his entire first-class career. In doing so, he joined a rare group as just the seventh player in history to compile a double century in a Test match’s fourth innings. Roach, despite enduring a long stretch of 72 deliveries without adding to his tally, also finished with the highest first-class score of his career.
“Special, special day for me; special day for the team,” Greaves said. “We were pretty much up against it. So, to come out here, batting the whole day after losing Shai [Hope]… We thought we would have probably pushed for a win. But then Kemar, the senior pro, guided me all the way. So pretty much happy for him being there at the end as well.
“To be a part of history is ecstatic. But for me, one day at a time, continue to enjoy it. Probably it hasn’t sunk in just yet. Hopefully, over the next couple of days, it can.”
“For us, it was just about getting to the last session,” Greaves said. “We always spoke about 100 runs in the last session, probably with a few more wickets in hand. Obviously, losing Shai and then losing Imlach shortly after was a big thing. But I think we did really well in the end to come up with a draw.”