ICC WORLD CUP | Conway, with a good record in the subcontinent, will be crucial for New Zealand’s fortunes

Devon Conway, South Africa-born Kiwi opener, has become an integral part of the New Zealand team. He has a good record in the subcontinent, scoring two ODI tons this year, and has a strategy to succeed on slow-paced pitches. He believes adapting to different surfaces and clear communication will be key to success. He is motivated to go one further this year in the World Cup.

Within three years of his international debut, Devon Conway has become an indispensable part of the New Zealand set-up across formats and will be a crucial player to the two-time runner-up’s chances at the World Cup starting on Thursday.

While he started with a duck against Pakistan last week in the first warm-up game, he got back on track by top-scoring (78 retired) against South Africa in the second game in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.

The opener comes into the tournament with a good record in the subcontinent, having scored two ODI tons this year, one each against Pakistan and India, apart from a highly productive IPL for Chennai Super Kings.

The South African-born Kiwi opener has shown a remarkable ability to succeed on slow-paced pitches and feels how his team adapts to these conditions will be the biggest challenge.

“I think, obviously, we are looking to adapt to the surfaces as they may differ in different parts of the country. We try to hold on to our partnerships as best as possible and have clear communication throughout the game with bat or ball. Those are some areas where we can keep learning and improving on each game,” said Conway to The Hindu on the takeaways from the team’s two wins in the warm-up games.

Explaining his approach to batting in the subcontinent, Conway said, “For me, it is about understanding that the surface will be slower and have less bounce. So I just looked to play straighter as long as possible and find ways to put bowlers under pressure and score.

“If you are limited here, you often get stuck. Having the sweep shot or run down and playing straight in your locker has been crucial to score in these conditions,” he added.