Conway had 42 and Latham 39 at half-time, having survived 28 overs in the first session.
Advertisement
The last time New Zealand batted first by choice in a home Test was in 2011, an indication of the usual bowl-first nature of New Zealand pitches.
But Latham looked at a field carpeted with grass and still made the decision to pad out and hit.
In a television interview, Latham noted that the Bay Oval pitch tends to favor spin bowlers during a Test match and New Zealand now avoids the need to bat last.
New Zealand named spinner Ajaz Patel to play his first Test in five years. While Patel became just the third player to take 10 wickets in a Test innings when he achieved the feat against India in India in 2021, he is rarely the first choice at home.
Advertisement
There was a bit of life on the pitch early on Thursday and Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales bowled excellent first spells with the new ball. Roach bowled six overs for 12 runs and Seales bowled five overs for 10 runs.
Both took the ball away from the left-handers, attracting Conway especially with balls that arced outside off-stump.
But Latham and Conway played sparingly from the start. When the opportunity presented itself, both played well through cover and Conway also found the boundary behind the point.
New Zealand leads the three-match series 1-0 after the first Test was drawn and the Black Caps won the second by nine wickets.
____
AP Cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket