Conway’s long-awaited NZ test debut remains elusive
Those Black Caps’ fans hoping for a Devon Conway test debut may have been mistakenly buoyed by the news that Kane Williamson will soon be a dad for the first time.
The New Zealand test captain said after his career- best 251 against the West Indies in Hamilton on Friday that his wife Sarah was due to give birth ‘‘mid to late December’’.
That could see Williamson miss a test – New Zealand play the second test against the Windies in Wellington starting on December 11 and then host Pakistan in two tests after Christmas — the first starting in Mount Maunganui on Boxing Day.
‘‘We’re just going to cross that bridge when we can and see how things unfold, but very difficult to pre-plan,’’ Williamson said.
It’s possible he may still play all four tests this summer – Williamson lives in Mount Maunganui, the venue of the first test versus Pakistan from December 26-30, and after not playing the Twenty20 series against the Windies, he could also easily skip the two T20s against Pakistan on December 18 and 20, particularly if they coincide with the arrival of the couple’s first child.
Yet should Williamson take time off from cricket, Conway still looks unlikely to feature at home in tests this summer.
The South African-born lefthander was brought into the squad for the first test in Hamilton as injury cover after wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling injured a hamstring in a domestic one-dayer.
That eventually ruled him out of the test side, with Will Young promoted to debut as opener, while Tom Blundell took over the keeping gloves and dropped down the batting order to No 6.
However, it appears Watling may make a quick return to the XI for the second test at the Basin Reserve.
The 35- year- old has been progressing well in his treatment and training in Hamilton and is targeting a return for the second test in Wellington, according to the Black Caps camp.
Should he be fit for the Basin, Young – who made a troubled five in his first test innings on Thursday – would drop out of the XI and Blundell would resume his opening role. That would leave Conway still three steps removed from the test side.
If Watling isn’t fit to play in Wellington, Young will be given another run at the top of the batting order.
Blundell and Henry Nicholls will also get another test in Wellington to make their mark with the bat. Nicholls made seven in the first innings in Hamilton and it’s now been 12 completed innings since his last test century. In that time, he’s averaged 20.33 with a highest score of 42.
Should any of the batsmen pressured by Conway – who made an outstanding start to his international career in two T20 innings against the Windies after dominating domestic attacks for the past three years – also fail in Wellington, it’d still go against the grain of recent selection trends not to see them given another chance versus Pakistan.
But rarely have chief selector Gavin Larsen and head coach Gary Stead had someone the calibre of Conway – who has compiled over 2000 runs while averaging 70 since moving here – waiting in the wings. Spinner Ajaz Patel missed the first test with a calf injury and could come back into the frame if fit.