Conway Reflects on New Zealand Return After Zimbabwe Game

HARARE: After a hiatus of over a year, Devon Conway has voiced his pleasure at rejoining New Zealand’s T20I team. He described his return during the current tour of Zimbabwe as a positive experience.

In the post-game press briefing following the match against Zimbabwe, Conway conveyed his excitement about being back in the setup, regarding it as an excellent chance to represent his nation once more.

“It feels good to be back in this setting. It’s been quite a while, so receiving the call-up to rejoin the squad is wonderful.

“Of course, Finn Allen’s injury is unfortunate; however, for me, it’s great to have the chance to be with the team again and see some familiar faces I haven’t seen in a long time. Contributing to today’s victory was also satisfying,” he stated.

Conway noted that the pitch presented more difficulty than anticipated.

“The surface had considerable steep bounce, which was somewhat unexpected. However, we adapted, and fortunately, we only needed to chase 121 and were successful,” he remarked.

“The new ball, particularly from their left-armer [Richard Ngarava], posed a significant challenge. They hit the wicket hard, generating a lot of steep bounce, making things difficult for us early on.”

This series marks Conway’s initial experience under New Zealand’s new head coach, Rob Walter, who transitioned from his role with South Africa’s limited-overs teams to an all-format position with the Black Caps.

While Conway hasn’t confirmed his availability for upcoming tournaments, he expressed positive sentiments about Walter’s coaching approach thus far.

“We’ve only spent a few days with him, but his optimistic approach to T20 cricket has been evident and clear for us batters,” he mentioned.

“He has introduced positive energy and a slightly different perspective, so it’s beneficial to have him involved and begin experimenting with his leadership as head coach,” he concluded.

Notably, Conway’s last appearance for New Zealand in this format was during the T20 World Cup over a year ago.

Subsequently, he declined a central contract and was initially excluded from the Zimbabwe series. However, a foot injury to opener Finn Allen paved the way for his return, and Conway is capitalizing on the opportunity.