Black Caps vs Sri Lanka: Devon Conway defies the gale, bowlers all shook up

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He’s called the Basin Reserve home for five years and averaged 94 in first-class cricket there, but Devon Conway has never known conditions like it.

If the near gale north-westerly was a struggle for New Zealand’s run machine – who topscored with 78 in their first innings of 155-2 – then imagine how the Sri Lanka bowlers found it.

“Certainly today was the windiest I’ve ever played in at the Basin. There were some challenging times and there was a moment where both sets of bails fell off and they brought out some heavy ones which I haven’t seen before,” Conway said, after bad light forced an early end to day one of the second test when just 48 overs were bowled.

“Early on a couple of their guys, I could see it on their faces thinking ‘this is quite a challenge’.”

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They weren’t the only ones. Kane Williamson pulled away from his batting stance and began waving his arms as bails went flying, along with umpire Chris Gaffaney’s hat which was dutifully pursued by a Sri Lankan fielder.

Camera operators perched high on the scaffolding at the southern end considered whether they could continue as their cameras wobbled and they held on for all they were worth.

Whoosh! Umpire Chris Gaffaney loses his hat at the Basin Reserve.

Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Whoosh! Umpire Chris Gaffaney loses his hat at the Basin Reserve.

And none of the Sri Lankan bowlers who bowled with either the howling wind over their left shoulder from the RA Vance Stand end, or punched into it from the Adelaide Rd end, ever looked like applying the necessary pressure.

It meant Sri Lankan skipper Dimuth Karunaratne got little reward for calling correctly on what looked a typically green Basin Reserve pitch, but not as emerald as it was for the England test epic.

His decision to bowl first made it 50 successive first-class matches and 15 successive tests at the Basin where the toss-winning skipper had sent their opponents in.

Said Conway: “With my bat when I was holding it up I could feel it getting pushed at times away from my body or up and down. I was trying to be nice and firm in my stance and put their bowlers under pressure.”

He certainly did, cracking 13 boundaries in his breezy 78 off 108 balls which punished anything short or full.

New Zealand batter Devon Conway raises another test half-century.

Chris Symes/Photosport

New Zealand batter Devon Conway raises another test half-century.

Conway and Tom Latham (21) put on their seventh 50-plus opening stand as they added 87, boosting their partnership average to 55 to confirm their status as a world-class test opening pair. Only John Wright and Trevor Franklin (55.1 average partnership) sit ahead of them on the New Zealand list, of those who opened together in more than 15 test innings.

Latham skied a catch then Conway, with Sri Lanka’s bowlers at his mercy, advanced on the spin of Dhananjaya de Silva who held a sharp, low return catch. “Gutted,” was Conway’s reaction after doing all the hard work with a fifth test century there for a taking.

Kane Williamson (26) and Henry Nicholls (18) resume on day two which starts early at 10.30am, looking to bat Sri Lanka out of the test when mostly fine weather and easing winds are forecast.

Williamson fought through a tough period where he could barely keep his feet and by stumps looked well set, a third century in as many tests certainly within his grasp.

Kane Williamson looked well set for another big score.

Chris Symes

Kane Williamson looked well set for another big score.

Nicholls, meanwhile, made his now customary shaky start when a thick edge on six was just out of reach of new wicketkeeper Nishan Madushka who was a surprise selection replacing Niroshan Dickwella. For Nicholls, too, a much-needed big score beckons if he can start well on a pitch that holds few terrors.

As Conway said: “I’m very fortunate to call this my home. I’ve played a few four-day games for the Wellington Firebirds here and I’ve taken a lot of experience from those games.

“As a batter, especially on day one, more often than not it’s pretty green at the Basin but one thing you can do is try to flip that mindset and keep a positive mindset throughout.

“For me it’s about trying to go after balls that are in my area, not try to overhit the ball and just trust the bounce, because there is good bounce on day one and two.”

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