Devon Conway spent more than a year out of New Zealand’s T20 side. On Friday in Harare he returned, made an unbeaten 59 from 40 balls and walked off grinning.
“It’s great to be back in this environment. It’s been a while, so just getting the call-up to come back into the squad is fantastic,” he said afterwards.
Key details up front
• New Zealand beat Zimbabwe by eight wickets, chasing 121 with 27 balls to spare.
• Conway top-scored and shared half-century partnerships with Rachin Ravindra (29) and Daryl Mitchell (27*).
• The victory lifts the Black Caps to the top of the tri-series table after two wins from two.
• Finn Allen’s foot injury opened the door for Conway, who had turned down a central contract last winter.
‘Nice to contribute’
Conway admitted the knock was not entirely fluent. Zimbabwe’s seamers, led by Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani, banged the ball in on a fresh surface that offered more bounce than earlier in the week. Conway top-edged a couple of pulls and was dropped on one. He stuck it out.
“There was a lot of steep bounce in the surface, which was a little bit unexpected, but we adjusted and thankfully we only had to chase 121 and managed to get across the line,” he said.
“With the new ball, especially their left-armer [Ngarava] was a massive challenge for us as batters. They bashed that wicket really hard and got a lot of steep bounce out of it, so it made it pretty hard for us batters early.”
Mitchell, calm as ever, called Conway’s innings “a lesson in hanging in”. Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza agreed: “We had them two down early; credit to Devon, he rode his luck and then punished us.”
Fresh pitch, similar story
The first two matches of the series were played on tired strips where balls held up. Friday’s surface was new and quicker yet still produced only 120 for eight from Zimbabwe. They lost Wesley Madhevere third ball and never fully recovered, despite Raza’s 33. Left-arm quick Ben Sears took two for 20; Mitch Santner’s four overs cost just 15.
Analytic pause
New Zealand’s attack looks balanced: genuine pace from Sears, variations from Tim Southee, and the left-arm finger-spin of Santner. That blend tends to work on sub-continental surfaces, and will be tested again on Tuesday against South Africa. The Proteas will arrive with Kwena Maphaka – another left-armer, brisk and able to swing it up front. Conway has already miscued him once in this series.
New broom in the dressing-room
These are also Conway’s first days under head coach Rob Walter, who swapped South Africa’s white-ball set-up for an all-format role in Wellington. Early impressions are upbeat.
“It’s just been a couple of days we’ve been with him but his positive mindset around T20 cricket has been nice and clear for us batters,” Conway said.
“He’s brought positive energy and a slightly new way of thinking so it’s nice to have him on board and experimenting as to how he operates as the head coach.”
What next?
There are four round-robin matches left before the final. Two wins usually secure a spot in a three-team tri-series final, so New Zealand have a foot in the door. South Africa, beaten by Zimbabwe on Thursday, need to respond quickly.
As for Conway, selection debates will rumble on. He relinquished a central deal to pursue options in franchise cricket, but this outing reminded everyone of his worth in black.
“Obviously Finn Allen’s injury is unfortunate but for me it’s nice to get that opportunity to be with the squad again and see a couple of faces who I haven’t seen in a long period of time. And it was nice to contribute today to the win.”
Imperfect, yes; effective, certainly. And for Conway, one satisfying step back onto the international stage.
