Cricket: Taylor double-century sets up NZ

Trent Boult of New Zealand celebrates the wicket of Kirk Edwards of the West Indies during day two of the first test match between New Zealand and the West Indies. Photo / Getty Images.

West Indies have a fight on their hands to save the first test against New Zealand at Dunedin.

At stumps on the second day, the tourists were 67 for two in reply to New Zealand's 609 for nine declared.

It was New Zealand's fourth highest test total and eclipsed the old record for the highest total after being sent in.

New ball bowlers Trent Boult and Tim Southee took a wicket apiece. Boult had Kirk Edwards, out of the test for 18 months, edged a catch to Peter Fulton at second slip off Boult's seventh ball, and Kieran Powell drove loosely to be caught behind off Southee soon after.

Darren Bravo was on 37 and Marlon Samuels 14.

But the day belonged to Ross Taylor, who became the 12th batsman to score a test double century for New Zealand.

He batted eight hours 11 minutes, faced 319 balls and hit 23 fours. It was the first double hundred for New Zealand since Brendon McCullum's 225 against India at Hyderabad in 2010.

McCullum walked out with Taylor to start the day, the first time two New Zealand batsmen have begun a day's play with 100 to their name.

But he didn't last long, gone for 113, however Taylor had useful partnerships with wicketkeeper BJ Watling, of 84 for the sixth wicket, 76 with Ish Sodhi for the eighth and a brisk 61 with Neil Wagner for the ninth.

Lively Tino Best had the best figures, three for 148, with two apiece for captain Darren Sammy, who was nursing a minor gluteal strain after lunch and didn't bowl, and spinner Narsingh Deonarine.

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