Devon Conway brought up a double-century and pushed New Zealand into such a strong position in Mount Maunganui that they actually got carried away with it.
With their fifth-highest Test total at home – 575 for 8 declared – on their back, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes and Michael Rae ran in expecting wickets to tumble. They bowled far too full and were taken for far too many and, as a result, both teams have now wasted the new ball on a green pitch.
West Indies were flying – 88 in 15 overs – with 13 fours coming in that time. That’s not including ten wides. Brandon King and Johm Campbell did not bat like they had been weighed down by 155 overs in the field or the 500-plus deficit. They focused on playing late, playing straight and were still alert enough to punish an overly enthusiastic New Zealand attack.
West Indies go into the third day still trailing by 465 but in games like these you can’t look at the scoreboard too much. You just put your head down and keep going. That’s what King and Campbell did to produce their first century partnership as an opening pair, and only the sixth in the last 11 years for West Indies. King even had time to bring up a fifty, his second in Test cricket.
Such treats were on offer on day one too, only New Zealand were at the other end now. Twenty-four hours has produced a sea change with the visitors also finding their discipline with the ball.
Justin Greaves set up Kane Williamson beautifully to dismiss one of the best batters in the world for just 31 and Roston Chase bowled 25 overs unchanged from morning drinks to cover for the loss of Kemar Roach to a hamstring injury. Shai Hope is of more pertinent concern because he spent the entire day at the hotel unwell and might not be allowed to bat at his usual No. 4 spot.
Ojay Shields and Tagenarine Chanderpaul were carrying niggles as well so when Greaves had to step away for a bit in the second session, West Indies had no subs left and had to rope in local Tauranga boy, 19-year-old Sebastian Heath, who is also registered with the Denmark cricket team, to field for them.
Given all these handicaps, the seven wickets West Indies took on Friday, the composure that followed with the bat, and the fact that they have all their run-scoring resources in hand for when the pitch flattens out were unlikely but hard-earned outcomes.
Greaves may just have heralded that with his extraction of Williamson, where he beat the outside edge several times, the batter struggling to come to terms with the pace of his own home ground. With the pressure sufficiently built, Greaves dangled the bait wide outside off stump and Williamson couldn’t resist having a go. He threw his head back – but dared not look back – when he heard the nick go through to the keeper. This was what was missing from West Indies on day one when Conway and Tom Latham cruised to 323 for 0. The ability to hold a line and length and build up to a wicket.
West Indies allowed only one man to score more than fifty runs on the second day – Rachin Ravindra making 72 not out. It was a much more appropriate outcome given the conditions. Balls on a good length continued to misbehave. Jayden Seales hitting more or less that area against Conway, batting on a double-century, had the batter recoiling as one kicked up alarmingly.
The opening batter’s wicket – for 227 – was the result of another ball nipping in and keeping low to trap him lbw. There is still help for the bowlers out there, just that their margin of error is small. When they focus outside the 6m length, the pitch speeding up has made hitting through the line easy.
Conway was tiring at the end of his 508-minute innings. West Indies’ bowlers were right there with him. Seales had roused himself to go one-on-one against Daryl Mitchell. He was emotional enough to curse so loud it was caught on the stump mic when Greaves put down a straightforward catch off Mitchell at second slip in the 127th over. He has six wickets at an average of 50.33 on this tour. He’s bowled better than that.
Day three will bring different challenges. Chase’s offbreaks were already getting grip and turn and bounce. Ajaz Patel will have a lot to say and this match remains interestingly poised, not to mention one of a kind – the first in New Zealand history to include two century opening stands in the first innings.
Brief scores: [Day 2 Stumps] West Indies 110 for 0 in 23 overs (Brandon King 55*, John Campbell 45*) trail New Zealand 575 for 8 dec in 155 overs (Devon Conway 227, Tom Latham 137, Rachin Ravindra 72*; Jayden Seales 2-100, Anderson Phillip 2-154, Justin Greaves 2-83) by 465 runs
Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasooriya in her Environment Day message said that the environment is the foundation of our livelihood and called upon all Sri Lankans to come forward with the responsibility in mind to bequeath a secure a secure, prosperous and green planet to future generations.The PM’s Environment Day message:
“The environment is the foundation of our livelihood. It is the responsibility of the government to bequeath a secure, prosperous, and green planet to future generations.
In line with the global theme, “Urgent Climate Action,” and guided by the vision of “A Sustainable Biosphere – An Evergreen Life,” Sri Lanka commemorates World Environment Day this year at a critical moment. Drawing lessons from the climate-related challenges we have recently experienced, special attention has been directed toward protecting the water catchment areas of the central highlands and restoring ecosystems.
Under the theme “Dalulanna Idadenna” ( Let it Bloom), the Ministry of Environment has organized a series of programmes across the island to mark World Environment Day. These initiatives include environmental conservation inspired by religious values, awareness programmes on climate change, the protection of the Diyawanna Oya, the development of infrastructure in the wildlife sector, the conservation of water resources, and the promotion of medicinal plant cultivation, and through these efforts, it is evident that environmental conservation has evolved beyond a mere concept and become a practical and active commitment.
At this significant moment in our nation’s history, as more than 63,000 hectares of forest land have been gazetted as protected reserves through the “Wanaspathi” National Programme, which was launched last year, every citizen must resolve to live in harmony with the environment.
Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) were ordered to shelter in an attached spacecraft after the structure suddenly started leaking more air.
Five of the seven crew were directed to go into the docked SpaceX shuttle Dragon “Freedom” on Friday afternoon and were braced for a potential evacuation.
Meanwhile, two remaining personnel – a pair of Russian cosmonauts – attempted to repair a part of the Russian segment of the ISS, where the leaks had started increasing on Monday.
The repairs were paused and the crew ordered back onto the ISS by Nasa on Friday afternoon.
Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev, who arrived on the ISS in February, had been sheltering on the docked ship, along with another astronaut Chris Williams.
They had been told to put on their spacesuits so they were ready to undock and return to Earth at short notice.
The Dragon effectively functions as a lifeboat – attached to the station but ready to detach the moment the order is given.
The trigger for the order was a worsening air leak in the transfer tunnel, known as PrK, leading to a section of the Russian segment of the station called the Zvezda service module.
Russian cosmonauts, station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev, attempted to fix the problem. Their escape route was the separately docked Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft.
It is not the first time the station has had to deal with this problem – the cracks responsible have persisted on and off for around six years.
However, following the arrival of a Russian cargo ship last month, the Russian space agency Roscosmos noticed a fresh slow pressure drop in the tunnel, prompting the decision to move beyond patchwork fixes and attempt a more extensive repair operation on Friday.
(Left to right) Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, Nasa astronauts Jack Hathaway, Jessica Meir and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot [BBC]
But it was the method they were planning to use that prompted the order to take shelter, according to news agency Reuters.
Kud-Sverchkov and Mikayev were said to be using a saw to try and get into an area to access the crack that was leaking air.
Nasa disagreed with the method they were using and mission control in Houston ordered five crew to take “safe-haven” procedures on the Dragon ship.
When Roscosmos told their crew to pause repairs, Nasa instructed the astronauts to return to the station.
Nasa spokeswoman Bethany Stevens said on X: “Given this development, Nasa has instructed the crew members inside the Dragon spacecraft to end the safe haven procedures and return to planned operations aboard the International Space Station.”
Russian news agency Tass, citing Roscosmos, reported that nothing had been threatening the safety of the crew or the ISS’s onboard systems.
The ISS, which spans the length of a football field, is the largest human-made object in space.
It has been continuously operated by a US-Russian-led consortium that includes Canada, Japan and 11 European countries since 1998.
Maja Chwalinska lost in the Wimbledon second round (2022) and Australian Open first round (2025) in her only two previous Grand Slam appearances (BBC)
Qualifier Maja Chwalinska is one win away from a fairytale French Open triumph after setting up a final showdown with Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva.
The Polish world number 114, who had only ever won one match at a Grand Slam before this tournament, continued her astonishing run at Roland Garros by beating 25th seed Diana Shnaider 7-6 (7-4) 6-4.
Three weeks and nine matches after her French Open campaign began, Chwalinska dropped to the ground after firing in the 32nd and final winner of another scintillating display.
With that, she became the first qualifier in history to reach the women’s singles final at Roland Garros, and the crowd chanted her name as she spoke in her post-match interview.
On Saturday, she will attempt to become only the second qualifier in the Open era to win a Grand Slam after Britain’s Emma Raducannu at the 2021 US Open.
It would be a fitting conclusion to a French Open filled with spectacular shocks from the outset.
But, on the evidence of her dominant victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, the in-form Andreeva will provide the sternest test of her credentials to date.
A beaten semi-finalist in 2024, the 19-year-old was hugely impressive in a 6-1 6-3 victory that made her the third-youngest woman to reach the Roland Garros showpiece this century, after Coco Gauff and Kim Clijsters.
Should she prevail in her first major final, eighth seed Andreeva would become the third-youngest first-time Grand Slam champion this century, after Maria Sharapova and Raducanu.
