Devon Conway
Devon Conway – batsman in New Zealand team
Devon Conway (Devon Philip Conway) was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 8, 1991. His sporting path is rather atypical: having made his debut at home, the player subsequently moved to New Zealand, gaining the right to play for this country’s national team.
Devon Conway: career
Conway’s professional career began in 2015 when he received an invitation to join the Gauteng provincial team for the African Cup T20. Taking part in three matches, he recorded 53 runs. Subsequently, Devon changed two more teams but eventually concluded that home competitions did not allow him to reveal his potential. He decided to challenge himself at one of the foreign championships.
Devon Conway has proven himself in limited overs. Known primarily as a talented batsman, he is also quite good as a wicket-keeper, which only underlines his versatility. His high performance, coupled with adaptability, allowed him to find himself in a new country and new championships quickly.
The South African signed a contract with Wellington in June 2018. Already in the second round of the Plunket Shield competition, he scored two hundred in a match against Otago. Conway performed well in the Super Smash in the same season, hitting 363 wounds in just nine matches, making him the top-performing batsman in the championship. The South African’s performance was even better in the Plunket Shield – 659 runs in seven games. Thus, starting as a reserve player, he was able to win a place at the base of the team very quickly.
Devon won the Best Player nomination at the annual New Zealand Cricketer Awards in March 2019. He brilliantly played in the Plunket Shield match against Canterbury in the fall of the same year, chalked up a triple hundred (ninth in the history of first-class competition in New Zealand). A little later, he again became the leader of the Super Smash – 543 runs in eleven matches. Equally successful was his performance at the 2019-2020 Ford Trophy, where the South African managed 553 runs in ten matches, and the new season of the Plunket Shield (701 runs in six matches).
Conway was again named “Player of the Year” in the spring of 2020 and he was invited to play for the Somerset County Cricket Club at the 2021 T20 Blast tournament in May.
Devon Conway: performing internationally
Devon Conway won the right to play for the New Zealand national team on August 28 2020. In November, he was included in the main squad for training matches against the West Indies. A little later, the South African was included in the list of players who had to participate in the T20 competition against the same team. Devon made his New Zealand debut in November, and he was promoted to the test team a month later, replacing the injured Bradley Watling.
Conway got a spot on the ODI national team in March 2021, which was to play against Bangladesh. Having fully proved the confidence placed in him, the batsman scored the first hundred in the third match of the series.
Devon Conway was invited to join the New Zealand test team a month later. Debuting against England in June, he became the 12th rookie batsman in the country’s history to record 100. In addition, he managed to break the current record, becoming the most productive debutant of test matches ever held at the famous Lord’s complex.
“To score a hundred in the debut match – I would never even think of that,” – the player did not hide his emotions. – I just wanted to get a chance to play in the Test, because this level is exactly what I dreamed of. And I am very happy and grateful for this opportunity given to me by the Cricket Wellington and Black Caps. This is a very special feeling that I did not even hope to experience when I decided to take such a step.”
Significantly, at the same time, Conway also became the oldest batsman ever to hit 100 in a debut match.
