ANALYSIS: Devon Conway has starred as an opener for the Black Caps in Pakistan, making 92 and 18 not out in a final-day chase halted by bad light in the first test and 122 on the first day of the second.
His fourth test hundred in 12 matches had New Zealand in a strong position at Karachi National Stadium on Monday, only for a collapse in the afternoon session to leave the contest intriguingly poised.
He will have been disappointed not to have still been batting come the end of the first day in Karachi, having been caught behind off part-time spinner Agha Salman shortly after tea.
Fareed Khan/AP
Devon Conway and Tom Latham have formed a strong opening partnership for the Black Caps in Pakistan.
But he has nevertheless made a strong case to continue partnering Latham at the top when the Black Caps host England and Sri Lanka for tests in February and March, following a bit of white-ball action in Pakistan and India.
Conway has now scored 1150 runs in 21 innings across 12 matches in test cricket and is averaging 57.5, a mark bettered only by fellow fast starter Daryl Mitchell (58.23) among New Zealand batters in the 18 months or so since his debut.
Yet in those 12 matches, he’s batted five times as an opener, five times at No 3 and twice at No 4.
He was initially an opener, a decision made to get him into the side while Ross Taylor was still around, then shifted back to No 3 last summer, with Taylor retired and Williamson resting to heal an elbow injury.
Once Williamson returned against England last June, Conway shifted down to No 4, but did receive a mid-series promotion when the captain, as he was then, caught Covid-19. Then came the tour of Pakistan, where he returned to the top.
Conway’s initial shift away from opening came at the same time that Will Young was installed as an opener, a position he only took up in recent years, after spending most of his career in the middle order.
In 10 tests batting as an opener, Young has scored 439 runs at an average of 25.82, with a highest score of 89 and has looked uncomfortable against the new ball more than he has looked comfortable.
Conway, meanwhile, has scored 603 runs in five tests as an opener (with another innings likely to come in the current match) at an average of 86.14, with a highest score of 200.
That’s not to say he’s a slouch elsewhere – he averages 60.75 in his five matches at No 3, while his poor return so far at No 4 (53 runs in four innings) is more down to variance than his obvious qualities as a batter.
But as far as fielding the strongest possible Black Caps team is concerned, it seems clear it should be Conway walking out alongside Latham whenever an innings begins, not Young.
Where would it leave Young, if Conway was to remain in the opening batter role when the first test against England starts at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on February 16?
Breathing down Henry Nicholls’ neck for a spot in the middle-order, most likely, though there is a chance they could both play, as they did in the third test in England in June.
That would require the Black Caps to go in with Daryl Mitchell as their fifth bowling option, rather than picking four out-and-out bowlers with an all-rounder at No 7, as they have in Pakistan.
The makeup of the bowling attack is set to be the main point of intrigue as that high-profile series against Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes’ red-hot side draws closer and how it is comprised could impact decisions made with the batting.
