Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor hit centuries in a brutal unbroken partnership of 182 as New Zealand stormed into a dominant position on the opening day of their Test series against West Indies at Dunedin.
McCullum hammered 109 off 122 balls – a first Test ton in his hometown – in an innings which included 14 fours and three maximums, while Taylor was equally effective in amassing 103 as the hosts closed day one in Dunedin on 367 for three.
It was a chastening day for the Windies bowlers – Shannon Gabriel suffering particularly harsh treatment – and their captain Darren Sammy, whose decision to ask New Zealand to bat first was left looking questionable.
McCullum and Taylor scored 173 in the final session alone, having come together with the score at 185 for three following good work from openers Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford, who hit 61 and 62 respectively.
McCullum set the tone for an exhilarating evening session by cracking back-to-back fours off Sammy, while Taylor – 36 not out when his partner came to the crease but had been overtaken by stumps – cut his way to 50 soon after.
The tourists were haemorrhaging runs, going for 36 in four overs, and the onslaught continued when McCullum advanced down the pitch and struck Shane Shillingford for four to reach 50.
Taylor dispatched successive long hops from Gabriel to the boundary, before McCullum launched a six and then a four off Shillingford.
He dished out similar treatment in the next over to Gabriel, whose wretched spell was summed up when McCullum pulled another long hop for six.
Drinks brought respite for the suffering visitors, but another huge six from McCullum signalled the resumption of their misery.
McCullum incongruously completed a century characterised by brutal hitting with a single, and there was much to celebrate for the 32-year-old whose last ton came back in 2010.
Taylor followed him just before stumps as the Windies failed to add to their three wickets.
Those had been earned by Shane Shillingford, Tino Best and Sammy. Rutherford struck Shillingford to long-on, Aaron Redmond edged Best to gully and Fulton nicked Sammy to second slip.