Wanted to 'bat big' - Conway on his 323-run opening stand with Latham

The goal was to "bat big, bat well, and give our bowlers an opportunity to bowl in the fourth innings". That's what Devon Conway said after he and Tom Latham added 323 for the first wicket in the third Test against West Indies in Mount Maunganui.

After winning the toss, New Zealand made the unpopular decision of batting first on a green wicket. The last time they did so in a home Test was in 2011. Both Conway and Latham stood up to the challenge. While Latham fell just before stumps, on 137, Conway remains unbeaten on 178 as New Zealand finished the day on 334 for 1

"Once we made the decision that we were going to go with Jazzy [Ajaz Patel], we decided that we were collectively going to have a bat first," Conway said after stumps. "Mentally, I really knew that we were going to bat. It was a guaranteed bat day because I had a feeling that they would have seen a green wicket, and with the make-up of their bowling attack, they probably wanted to bowl first.

"In the first 15-20 overs, they seemed to be bowling in really good areas and moving the ball quite a lot. I was constantly fighting myself throughout that first hour. Funny enough, I spoke to Tom Latham at lunch and I said I almost felt like I forgot how to bat after that first hour… Just everything felt really awkward. The trigger, it's just part of the game, batting... That happens every now and then, but I just try to remind myself just to get through that."

The conditions changed soon after. The two batters bedded in, and Conway hit 25 fours through the day, as run-scoring eased up: "I think it was a combination of two things. The ball got a little bit softer, a little bit older, and the wicket actually sped up a little bit. It offered up some good scoring opportunities for myself and Tom.

"One of my things is to play with freedom, play with a positive mindset, keep looking to score. I just try to remind myself to do that, particularly after lunch. If they miss, I want to capitalise and put them under pressure."

Two-thirds of Conway's last 39 innings have seen him dismissed before crossing 30. When asked about the pressure that might have built up with his relative lack of runs in recent months, he said: "I just try and remind myself to just keep doing that - don't worry about the runs. Just keep focusing on doing a job for the team and doing a role. I'm pretty happy that it turned over for me today, but I've just got to keep focusing on being present and just, as I say, doing a role for the team."

"[Opening] is a very underappreciated job around the world, not just here. Yeah, it has been a tough ride. Quite often you rock up day one of a Test match and you see it's pretty green.

"Already mentally you think, well, it's going to do bits here on this pitch. I think a lot of credit needs to go to a guy like Tom Latham, who's played 90-odd Tests, and he's done so well. I think he's scored his 15th Test century, and a lot of those centuries have been here in New Zealand.

"I think you've just got to try and remind yourself to get yourself into a good position and look to score because there is probably a ball with your name on it here in New Zealand. You've just got to be disciplined."

Conway's highest Test score remains the double-century he scored on debut against England at Lord's. When he returns to bat tomorrow, he will be just 22 runs away from crossing the milestone. However, he has his eyes firmly on the present.

"I think if you look too far ahead, particularly when you're batting, you can get yourself in trouble, he said. "I think it's very important for us as a batting group to keep putting [West Indies bowlers] under pressure. Bat for a long period of time because that wicket is going to get flatter, and it will give our spinners an opportunity to do a role later in the Test."

For now, Conway's plan for day two of the match remains simple: "I just want to go out there, stay in the process ball by ball and just keep doing my thing - building partnership with others at the other end. "