Stats: Top 5 highest fourth innings totals

NZ vs WI 2025, 1st Test: Justin Greaves [L] and Shai Hope [R] (Source: Craig Butland/MB Media/Getty Images)

West Indies etched their name in history as they posted the second-highest fourth-innings total in the history of Test cricket. They achieved the feat in the first Test against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

Set a steep target of 531 by the Kiwis, it seemed unlikely that the tourists would come anywhere near the score, especially after they were wiped out for 167 in the first innings. However, the Windies had other plans as they put on a show of grit and determination to save the match.

Shai Hope (140 off 234) and Justin Greaves (202* off 388) put on a stand of 196 off 384 deliveries for the fifth wicket before the former perished. New Zealand could not break through the pair of Greaves and Kemar Roach, as the duo ensured the series remained 0-0.

Highest fourth innings totals in Test cricket:

Greaves, who had scored only one ton in Test cricket, ended up unbeaten with 202 off 388 in an innings which comprised 19 fours. Roach also ended up with a career-best 58*. He had not scored a single half-century before this knock. Greaves became the fourth West Indian and seventh overall in the history of Test cricket to score a double century in the fourth innings.

Interestingly, this was the second time in Christchurch when a team dug in in the fourth innings and put up a 450-plus total. The previous instance came in 2002, when New Zealand lost. As for the current series, the second Test of the three-match series is scheduled to commence on December 10 in Wellington.

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