The opening day of the first Test between New Zealand and West Indies in Christchurch was a story of dramatic momentum shifts, culminating with the hosts finishing at 231 for 9 on a rain-affected Tuesday. The day was headlined by a fighting half-century from Kane Williamson and a subsequent middle-order collapse triggered by West Indies' Justin Greaves.
Williamson's Return and the Initial Resistance
After West Indies captain Roston Chase won the toss and elected to bowl on a green, overcast Hagley Oval pitch, New Zealand faced early pressure. The first session was heavily truncated by rain, with only 10.3 overs bowled, leaving the score at 17 for 1 after Devon Conway's early departure.
Following the extended break, Kane Williamson, playing his first Test innings in a year, anchored the innings alongside Tom Latham. The duo built a solid foundation with a 93-run partnership, providing crucial resistance. Williamson looked in fine touch, navigating the challenging conditions to bring up his 38th Test half-century, scoring 52 runs.
The Greaves-Triggered Collapse
The complexion of the day changed dramatically with Williamson's dismissal. He edged a delivery from Justin Greaves to Alick Athanaze at second slip, departing for 52. This wicket opened the floodgates for the visiting side.
New Zealand suffered a stunning collapse, sliding from a relatively comfortable 94 for 1 to 148 for 6. Greaves struck again to remove Latham for 24, and Jayden Seales clean bowled Rachin Ravindra for 3. In a devastating period, the West Indies attack claimed three wickets for just nine runs in the space of 21 deliveries.
Will Young (14) fell to debutant Johann Layne for his maiden Test wicket, and wicketkeeper Tom Blundell (29) became the first Test victim of another debutant, Ojay Shields.
Bracewell and Smith's Fightback
With the innings in tatters at 148-6, Michael Bracewell and Nathan Smith staged a vital recovery. They counter-attacked in a 52-run partnership for the seventh wicket, frustrating the West Indies bowlers. Smith contributed 23 runs, while Bracewell top-scored for the Black Caps with a valuable 47 before being dismissed by Shields.
Shields, who had earlier overstepped to deny himself Williamson's wicket on 33, finished with commendable figures of 2 for 34. Greaves ended the day with 2 for 35, and the experienced Kemar Roach took 2 for 47.
Bad light eventually stopped play after 70 overs, with tailenders Zak Foulkes and Jacob Duffy both unbeaten on 4 runs. Reflecting on the day, Michael Bracewell acknowledged the challenge, calling it a bit of "old school West Indies" fast bowling and an exciting battle that ebbed and flowed throughout.
