Devon Conway: Why He Wasn't a Star from 2010-2017

[nzfan]

Spinner from South Africa no thanks... South Africans are spud against spin. Their best spinner in the recent years is Imran Tahir, an import. Tells you the story doesn't it.

Last spinner we tried an import from England, Scott Borthwick bowled head high beamers consistently and he was rubbish. Excellent bat though.

 

[Athlai]

Surely Maharaj is the best South African spiner in recent years.

 

[Flem274*]

yea maharaj is a gun

 

[nzfan]

Yeah Maharaj is good but I can't think of too many South African spinners that have taken the world by storm.

 

[Kippax]

The dismissals in Conway's first season of franchise cricket. There were 90 more first-class runs for the Dolphins at an average of 10, in the six months after Ray White had written his 'most important debut since Kallis' newspaper column. As Cribb has pointed out, they were shuffling him up and down the order very haphazardly.

A very similar narrative to the previous spring and the one before that, if you believe in that sort of thing. He'd stood out at the 2009 Michaelmas festival, earning himself an October newspaper write-up, but didn't make sufficient runs in the remaining weeks before Christmas to convince Jennings to select him for the U19 World Cup. In 2008, it was the runs suddenly drying up at the high-profile Coke Week, which saw him miss South Africa Schools selection.

 

[Kippax]

A rough visual wrap of his dismissals in his second season with the Dolphins and KZN Inland, before he'd return home to Gauteng and play second-tier cricket for nearly two years.

Highlighter = KZN Inland three-dayers.

The game they moved on from Conway was as much about a return of captain Imraan Khan from an absence and Vaughn van Jaarsveld becoming available to them after Christmas, as it was a judgement that Conway was becoming too much of a liability to them. Obviously Khaya Zondo, Cody Chetty and Nashen Govender were under 22 themselves at the time and they didn't kick on to become big star players, but they weren't white liabilities like a 20-year-old Conway.

One can imagine the seeds slowly being sown in the young Conway's mind, that maybe living in a less macho, more weak-willed and decadent, but far less superstitious and bonkers sort of country, could actually be an ideal fit. Somewhere where they'd just explain away his failure to step up in those crunch junior weeks as being primarily a tiny sample size issue, rather than it being fate and God punishing him.

The comparison of the top 7 in the last Dolphins game Conway played and the first one without him:

LOST AND FOUND
11 Apr 2012
Patrick Compton

THE Dolphins have made two major signings for next season, batsman Jonathan Vandiar and paceman Craig Alexander, both from the Lions. On the other hand, they have almost certainly lost their prize leg-spinner, Imran Tahir, who has shifted in the opposite direction.There is also a strong possibility that Proteas and Warriors paceman Lonwabo Tsotsobe will be joining the Dolphins, although this has yet to be confirmed....

...Vandiar, who turns 22 this month, is a former Durban High School pupil. He played for the Lions for the last four years after making his first-class debut for the Dolphins in 2007/8.He left Durban that winter, saying he wanted to develop under the guidance of former Proteas coach Ray Jennings. It’s been an open secret this year that the talented left-hand batsman had negotiated his return to his home province.The Dolphins’ other signing is 25-year-old Craig Alexander, who was born in Cape Town and began his career for Western Province. He joined the Lions in 2007/8, and has been hobbled by injuries for long periods since then. He played for SA A against Zimbabwe in July last year.

A 17-man squad was released by the union yesterday. CEO Jesse Chellan commented: “This is a youthful squad with immense potential. “The new squad is in line with our strategy to develop youngsters into a winning Dolphins team. “With the high number of matches affected by the rain, it has been difficult to assess our progress this season, but young players like Kyle Abbott, Cody Chetty, Divan van Wyk, Khaya Zondo, David Miller and Mthokozisi Shezi have all produced match-winning performances.” Chellan said it was still the union’s intention to recruit overseas professionals to add the necessary experience to the squad. Opening batsman Loots Bosman, who turns 35 this week, has not been contracted after a poor season.Meanwhile, former Proteas fast bowler Friedel de Wet, 31, who played for the Dolphins last season, has announced his retirement.

Chellan said he hoped to finalise a number of semi-pro contracts soon, with players like Tabraiz Shamsi, Matt Hewlett, Devon Conway, Glen Addicott and Chad Fortune possible contenders.The Dolphins have also advertised for a full-time head coach. The deadline for applications is Friday, April 20.

Squad (in alphabetical order): Kyle Abbott, Craig Alexander, Ahmed Amla, Cody Chetty, Cameron Delport, Robbie Frylinck, Imraan Khan, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Dane Paterson, Mthokosizi Shezi, Daryn Smit, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Divan van Wyk, Jonathan Vandiar, Khaya Zondo, Prenelan Subrayen (rookie contract).

 

[nzfan]

To be fair that's then and it's now. A lot of batters and spinners are at their best form when they're about 28+ They understand their game in and out. Good that's he's been through it all and has chosen the right place to settle down. He'd probably would have gotten nowhere in South Africa.

 

[Kippax]

Yes this thread from the outset was intended as just a little retrospective piece to ascertain what actually transpired in the years when very few were paying any attention, rather than it being some kind of prognostication of how he will fare playing internationals for New Zealand.

 

[nzfan]

From what I know he didn't come to NZ to play for NZ. He just wanted a change and Vic Uni signed him up to play club cricket. Coach/Captain package enough to make ends meet in NZ. In fact there was news going around one or both of Obus Pienaar or James Price (South Africans) were going to make the firebirds. All Conway wanted was a place in a club and change of place. I don't think anyone would have guessed then Conway was going to be forerunner for Black Caps. He was 12th man for good number of games for Firebirds before he made the team.

Heard stories of how tough Grant Elliot made it to Black Caps. His is a great story. Played over in Christchurch for a season or two, then turned up for Naenae. Took him good number of years to make the firebirds. Prior making firebirds he was 6 months in NZ and 6 months in UK/Ireland making ends meet. Now he's a Wellington cricket legend. He has great reputation with the Black Caps as well. Did really well for himself.

 

[Flem274*]

yeah elliott was a gun. not a prodigy at all, just a guy who came over and played club cricket then rose into the wellington ranks where he was quietly good at one dayers and pretty average in the shield, then got a surprise nz call up and continued to be good in the one dayers but not test standard.

 

[cnerd123]

From what I know he didn't come to NZ to play for NZ. He just wanted a change and Vic Uni signed him up to play club cricket. Coach/Captain package enough to make ends meet in NZ. In fact there was news going around one or both of Obus Pienaar or James Price (South Africans) were going to make the firebirds. All Conway wanted was a place in a club and change of place. I don't think anyone would have guessed then Conway was going to be forerunner for Black Caps. He was 12th man for good number of games for Firebirds before he made the team.

Heard stories of how tough Grant Elliot made it to Black Caps. His is a great story. Played over in Christchurch for a season or two, then turned up for Naenae. Took him good number of years to make the firebirds. Prior making firebirds he was 6 months in NZ and 6 months in UK/Ireland making ends meet. Now he's a Wellington cricket legend. He has great reputation with the Black Caps as well. Did really well for himself.

and now Grant Elliot is CEO at CricHQ

The man sure knows how to hustle

 

[StephenZA]

To be fair that's then and it's now. A lot of batters and spinners are at their best form when they're about 28+ They understand their game in and out. Good that's he's been through it all and has chosen the right place to settle down. He'd probably would have gotten nowhere in South Africa.

Based on what?

I have no problem with him choosing NZ for many different reasons, but that utter assumption that he would have been ignored by SA cricket or not be in and around the game now in SA is 100% false.

 

[Kippax]

Well in New Zealand if a 26-year-old were to lose his franchise contract, his dream of international caps would be more than just on the rocks. It does make sense to me though that the rise and fall of a player's stock could be so much more volatile in South Africa, especially someone like Conway with the quota system stacked against him.

 

[StephenZA]

Well in New Zealand if a 26-year-old were to lose has franchise contract, his dream of international caps would be more than just on the rocks. It does make sense to me though that the rise and fall of a player's stock could be so much more volatile in South Africa, especially someone like Conway with the quota system stacked against him.

As far as I`m aware he was asked to stay in SA. There is a number of issues in SA as to why players leave including the effects of the quota system. But players with Conways talent tend to get contracts, and in all likelihood would be playing franchise cricket here in SA. And probably be threatening for SA honours. Bedingham is probably an exact example of this, he struggled initially, but was now a constant in the Cobras, highly regarded. With recent discussion about his future for SA being made. He left anyway.

The statement was that Conway would not have been given an opportunity in SA cricket. That is highly doubtful at best. If people want to make the statement that he left because of the huge social and economic problems within SA, such that as a young man with opportunity decided to head overseas to make the best of his life... then sure, that is 100% correct.

 

[Kippax]

It would be interesting to know for certain if there were rival outfits making approaches to him for the 2017/18 season, but he wanted to leave for New Zealand anyway. That could well be the case, seeing he finished 2016/17 on a high with a double hundred for Gauteng.

I've tried to find some quotes in the newspaper archives from the 2017/18 Lions coach who axed him, regarding what he actually made of Conway as a cricketer. I came up with one from 2014, and I think Toyana was still their coach at the time Conway was cut from the Lions.

“The mental toughness was lacking last season because of what we did the season before. In terms of team dynamics there were too many times when guys had success and then they take their foot off the pedal,” said Toyana.

Much of the pre-season work took place in the absence of senior staff Neil McKenzie and Alviro Petersen. While that had its drawbacks, it also helped to impress on the younger players the need for them to step to the fore.

“We won’t have Macky forever, he’s almost 40, it’s time for the younger guys to come through.”

While McKenzie will still be a vital cog for the Lions this summer – he’ll captain the side in the T20 competition – the onus, from a batting perspective, will be on three players; Temba Bavuma, Devon Conway and Dominic Hendricks.

Bavuma proved last season, when he scored 714 runs in the Sunfoil Series, that he’d managed to ally temperament with his talent, and now, as the Lions’ vice-captain, he’ll be keen to build on what was a breakthrough season. Hendricks and Conway need to establish themselves in the side, in the manner Bavuma has done in the last two years.

“With Devon it’s not about technique, he’s dominated at amateur level, and he got a taste of the franchise competition last season, so he knows what to expect, it’s about stepping up now,” said Toyana.

 

[StephenZA]

It would be interesting to know for certain if there were rival outfits making approaches to him for the 2017/18 season, but he wanted to leave for New Zealand anyway. That could well be the case, seeing he finished 2016/17 on a high with a double hundred for Gauteng.

I've tried to find some quotes in the newspaper archives from the 2017/18 Lions coach who axed him, regarding what he actually made of Conway as a cricketer. I came up with one from 2014, and I think Toyana was still their coach at the time Conway was cut from the Lions.

He would not have been offered a contract if he indicated he was off to play in NZ. Apparently the Gauteng CEO tried to get him to stay. The visa to play and live in NZ he would have had to apply at least 12 to 6 months (if not longer) prior.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-po...nway-hopes-to-catch-black-caps-selectors-eyes

So I do wonder if he was refused a contract before or after he decided to go to NZ.

 

[nzfan]

Based on what?

I have no problem with him choosing NZ for many different reasons, but that utter assumption that he would have been ignored by SA cricket or not be in and around the game now in SA is 100% false.

Based on his not so great outcome for years playing in South Africa? It's not about the quota or ignored by SA it's about change of place. For some it works wonderfully well. Jeetan Patel rejected playing test matches for Black Caps as he thought that will come in his way of playing for Warwickshire. He's more successful in England than in NZ. Change of place is not a bad thing when you are ageing. How long are you going to keep trying the same place with results or opportunities not changing?

For instance Hamish Bennett was in Canterbury set up for a very long time without getting anywhere. Minor niggles and he wouldn't be in the playing XI. He had enough of that and headed to Wellington although he was paid similarly in Canterbury. He's now the leader of the bowling pack for firebirds, playing for Black Caps and likely to be in the world cup squad as well.

Moving countries though is a very hard one and fraught with uncertainties. Devon took that chance and it's working for him.

 

[Kippax]

How long are you going to keep trying the same place with results or opportunities not changing?

Well I think the Gauteng CEO may've felt Conway was finally starting to gain a bit of a mastery of his mental game and was about to get the better of his stage fright battle just as he left, but there was still that large gulf in the franchise/amateur performance split in his final season there (67 runs @ 22.3 for the Lions, 820 runs @ 136 for Gauteng).

That perception that Conway's high levels of conscientiousness served him really well when the stakes were quite low, when there were many sloppy pressure-reliever players around to give a good thrashing, but that his conscientiousness sort of flipped on him and became an inhibitor to his performances when the stakes were raised, that was still the tag he would've been trying to shake.

The Lions are often a bit of a star-studded roster though, and their coach Toyana seemed like quite a tough nut 'I have no time for mental softness, don't ever take your foot off the pedal' sort of coach, so for an extended run of faith it would've likely meant another move away from the family base he seemed to enjoy. Taking his girlfriend to New Zealand and already having a good friend in Nofal to help him settle in Wellington became quite a good option.

 

[Kippax]

Quite a good video for the title of this thread. So much determination and intensity in the eyes, yet he only got a lousy 24 off 26 in an early round-robin game of Ram Slam T20.

Devcich would've come out and nicked those two he left in Parnell's first over through or over the slips, probably would've got himself to a chancy 24 off 12.

 

[nzfan]

I've seen despite having all the shots in the book he has tremendous patience, sees through tough times and when he finishes he's way better than run a ball. Perhaps he was different in his younger age. Most are reckless then, they think they can hit everything but with time and experience you get good at this. He's at his peak right now no doubt.