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Devon Conway’s Scintillating Style Can Help Him Make up for Lost Time

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After watching Devon Conway play for Gauteng in 2009, former Cricket South Africa president Ray White was so impressed that he said if Conway didn’t become a South African international, something would have gone wrong. Here we are some 12 years later in 2021. After playing in three different countries for a total of 21 different teams without having become a South African international, it’s probably fair to say that something did go wrong in the system. 

This is an all too familiar tale when it comes to South African cricket. Decades of mismanaging young players have seen a talent drain of huge proportions with South Africa’s international competitors reaping the rewards. This time around, it would be New Zealand who would benefit from Devon Conway’s decision to look abroad for any opportunity to play Test cricket. 

A Long-overdue date with Destiny 

Indeed, 12 years after Ray White issued those worlds at the famous Wanderers Stadium, Conway was lining up at the Home of Cricket for the Black Caps against England. Now 29 and extremely well-travelled, Conway was finally given his chance on the international stage at Lord’s. In reality, there are few greater or perhaps more nerve-racking grounds to make one’s debut, especially as New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bat first.

Conway’s walk through the Long Room and out onto a pristine Lord’s to open the batting for his adopted country would have been an emotional experience. With so much on the line and after years of back-breaking sacrifice to get into this position, it’s not hard to imagine that for most people, the occasion would have been all too much to handle. But then again, most people haven’t taken the road less travelled as Devon Conway has. 

A day and a half later and the debutant would go to his double hundred after smashing Mark Wood for six and in doing so, break a 125-year record as he registered the highest score on Test debut in England. It was an extraordinary innings, not only because of the circumstances but also given the astonishing way that the 29-year-old went about dismantling the English attack.

There were moments of flamboyance and calculated risk that were accompanied by a faultless technique. It is almost impossible to bowl to this type of style given that good balls are expertly dealt with whilst bad ones are hit to the boundary with total disdain. Indeed, 94 out of Conway’s 200 runs were scored by finding the boundary after he hit 22 fours and one six. 

Conway’s innings will without a doubt go down in cricketing history and his name will never be forgotten at Lord’s. Interestingly and although the left-hander will turn 30 in July, there is a feeling that this is the beginning of his career rather than a fairy tale ending, at least, that is what he has intimated after his heroics at Lord’s. 

Conway’s Race Against time to Make Hay While the Sun Shines 

Naturally, the New Zealander opener would have earned a lot less than almost every single other player on the park at Lord’s given how late his introduction to professional cricket has been. So, you can understand his desire to cash in on any years at the top that he will now get. Indeed, having sold his house and car so that he could finance a move to New Zealand from England, one gets a better understanding of the sacrifices he has had to make in recent years to follow his dream and enjoy this sudden remarkable rise.

One always hears the cautionary tale about a sportsman’s career being short but when they only make it at 30, it will presumably be over in the blink of an eye. 

Encouragingly for Conway though, his blistering innings at Lord’s would have undoubtedly caught the attention of a few teams in the Indian Premier League, cricket’s most lucrative competition. Indeed, anyone who bets on the top Indian cricket events will know that the Indian Premier League is hands-down the most popular cricket league in India, as the masses of betting sites and bonuses demonstrate. Every player wants a contract and when one considers that the tournament has a brand value of over $6 billion, it’s not hard to see why. 

Should Conway be able to carry on with the barnstorming style that he showed against England, then the chances of him earning an IPL contract for the 2022 event are very good. In essence, if the South African-born batsman gets a foot in the door in India, he will be able to recoup any lost earnings during his days in the wilderness, given that the top earners rake in more than $2 million a season. 

Perhaps Conway already knows this and that’s why he turned on the style at Lord’s with a scintillating display of strokeplay. Intriguingly, the 29-year-old did go to his hundred with a four and his double hundred with a six whilst most pros would be trembling at the knees and desperate for even the scriffiest single to get to the milestone. 

This type of showmanship will do Devon Conway no harm in his bid to make up for lost time. The stakes are high, but this is a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

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