Kiwi batsman makes cricket history with world record innings

Tom Latham has made Test cricket history with an incredible knock against Sri Lanka.

The Kiwi opener was unsurprisingly a little tired after his record-breaking double century helped New Zealand turn the screws in the first Test.

The opener faced 489 deliveries at the Basin Reserve in Wellington as he made a career-best 264 not out, the highest score by a player carrying their bat in a Test innings, surpassing Alastair Cook’s unbeaten 244 for England against Australia in Melbourne last year.

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Glenn Turner is the only other Kiwi to carry his bat through a Test innings, achieving the feat against England in 1969 and then again three years later when West Indies were the opponents.

While feeling the strain after his exploits, Latham praised his teammates for keeping him company in a knock that spanned six sessions.

He has been on the field for every delivery of the first three days of the match and looks unlikely to see that streak broken, with an innings victory on the cards for Kane Williamson’s side.

The Black Caps were eventually bowled out for 578 in reply to Sri Lanka’s first-innings total of 282, with the tourists slipping to 20-3 second time around to reach stumps still 276 runs behind.

“A little bit tired but the adrenaline is still running through me,” Latham said after play, according to Stuff.co.nz.

“The best thing is you get a break every two hours. It’s important to get to certain stages of the game, whether that’s lunch or tea.

“The boys coming in managed to keep me going and kept me inside my gameplan which was probably the most pleasing.”

Latham is the first Black Caps batsman to reach 200 in a Test match since teammate Ross Taylor made 290 against Australia in 2015.