Devon Conway: Century a ‘very special feeling’ in first home Test

The New Zealand batter made 122 at No. 3 on day one of the first Test against Bangladesh at the Bay Oval

Conway fell for 122 on the first day of the opening Test against Bangladesh at the Bay Oval, becoming only the sixth men’s batter to score a century in his first innings of a home and away Test. His effort helped the home side climb out of early trouble, to go to stumps on 258 for 5.

It wasn’t an easy start for Conway, who arrived at the crease in the fourth over at the fall of opener Tom Latham’s wicket. Bangladesh’s fast bowlers kept things tight, which forced Conway and his batting partner Will Young to opt for surviving the first hour instead of going for runs.

“I think the two of us decided that we needed to be as patient as possible. We identified that the Bangladeshi bowlers were bowling really well in that period. The surface was assisting them as well. We knew we could play the more attacking shots later in the day,” said Conway.

When the ball got slightly older and he had his eye in, Conway made the most of his runs on the on-side, especially unleashing the swivel pull to great effect on many occasions. He said the shot was also a show of intent towards the opposition.

“I put myself under pressure during practice, and try to pick up that length as quick as possible. Personally for me, I want to put up a bit of a statement on to the bowlers. There was one or two that were a bit edgy today. But it ended up being an exciting day for me,” he said.

Conway said that his preparation for this Test wasn’t ideal. He got out for a duck in the practice match against Bangladesh last week, his only competitive game after returning from the hand injury which he suffered in November.

“I probably had good four to five hard sessions in and around that practice game. It was a little disappointing that I wasn’t able to spend some more time in the middle in the practice game. It still gave me time to get into the nets. It wasn’t how I wanted to go about things before the Test but it has paid off for me.”