Hope, Greaves drag Christchurch Test to Day 5

Shai Hope slammed an unbeaten century while Justin Greaves got 55 as the West Indies pair added 140 runs over the course of more than a session and a half on Day 4 in Christchurch. This came as a riposte to New Zealand massive second innings total and subsequent declaration on 466, leaving West Indies to chase 531. From 72 for 4 in the middle session, Hope and Greaves showed that West Indies had fight left in them in this fixture, as they took the team to Stumps at 212 for 4, trailing by 319 runs in chase.
From an overnight total of 417 for 4, New Zealand batted just 14 more overs to add 49 more runs before asking West Indies to bat for the second time. Jayden Seales struck early to remove Will Young and Kemar Roach stopped Michael Bracewell in his tracks after the all-rounder added 24. Roach struck twice more to dismiss Matt Henry and Jacob Duffy, and completed his five-wicket haul. With Duffy's exit, New Zealand declared, giving themselves roughly two and half sessions on Day 4 to make sizable inroads. West Indies openers John Campbell and Tagenarine Chanderpaul saw out 11 overs until Lunch, but New Zealand found breakthroughs in the second session.
In just the second over of the middle session, Duffy got the ball to seam away from Campbell and got the batter to push at the delivery. The ball flew off the outside edge, which Bracewell caught well at first slip. In his next over, Duffy got Chanderpaul to inside edge a ball that Tom Latham caught diving to his right.
Alick Athanaze and Hope put up the first show of resistance, batting together for nearly 10 overs before a hit-me ball from Bracewell consumed the former. Athanaze's eyes lit up at the long-hop outside the off-stump and he attempted to pull it away, only to toe-end to mid-on. For the second time in the Test, Henry dismissed Roston Chase, and did it in the same manner - a full nipbacker nicked to Latham.
From 72 for 4, Hope and Greaves dug in for the rest of the day. When Bracewell went short to Hope, the experienced batter cut it away past cover and swivel-pulled it through square-leg. Greaves drove and punched against Henry as the partnership soared. Hope reached his seventh Test fifty before Tea, and even launched Bracewell for a six over long-on. New Zealand went into the final session a bowler short as Henry had to go to the hospital for scans on his calf. Hope and Greaves grew in confidence against the remaining bowlers. Just before drinks, Hope brought up his century - off 139 balls, and the 100-run stand with Greaves.
The second hour of the session panned out similarly, with Greaves getting to his half-century. By Stumps, West Indies had already showed an improvement from the first innings. After being bundled out in 75.4 overs in the first dig, they reached the end of Day 4 at 212 for 4, having already batted for 74 overs. The next and last hurdle is the remaining three sessions in the fixture on Day 5.