Wisden

The independent voice of cricket

LIVE SCORES
News

Devon Conway becomes eligible to play for New Zealand

by Wisden Staff 2 minute read

South Africa-born Devon Conway will be eligible to play for New Zealand from August 28. Per the ICC’s clearance, Conway will be allowed to play tour games before the August 28 deadline.

Conway could potentially be selected for New Zealand’s tour of Bangladesh, which is scheduled for an August 12 start, but the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has left a lot of things up in the air. Nevertheless, Conway is doing everything he can to stay ready.

“Little bit mixed feelings at the moment,” Conway said. “Obviously really happy to hear the news about my eligibility, but then again, in saying that, with regards to what’s happening at the moment throughout the world, just puts [everything] in perspective.

“I’m trying to do as much physical work as possible, as it allows me, but I also try and focus on doing some of those eye exercises that are quite important to me, and using skills like boxing to stay active – I’m enjoying that recently. There’s not a lot that we can do, but as much as you can do, it’s important to do during this period.”

Conway arrived in New Zealand from South Africa in September 2017 in search of more opportunities. The move has resulted in a huge upturn of fortunes for the 28-year-old, who averages 72.63 for Wellington in first-class cricket, with 1598 runs in 17 games, including an unbeaten triple century. Conway also topped the run charts in all three formats in the 2019-20 season.

However, Conway remains realistic about his chances of breaking into a quality New Zealand side. “It’s really awesome to have that solid date, 28th of August, as a reminder to say that you’re pretty close,” he said. “In saying that, it doesn’t guarantee selection. So I am pretty pretty happy to hear about that, but you’ve just got to keep working hard and hopefully get an opportunity to break into that Black Caps team, which is pretty awesome at the moment – you’ve got world-class players there, and it won’t be easy to get into that team.”

Have Your Say

Become a Wisden member

  • Exclusive offers and competitions
  • Money-can’t-buy experiences
  • Join the Wisden community
  • Sign up for free
LEARN MORE
Latest magazine

Get the magazine

12 Issues for just £39.99

SUBSCRIBE