Twitter Reactions: Dashing Devon Conway announces Test arrival with a double-century

If scoring the most number of runs on Test debut defines a good debut, New Zealand’s Devon Conway had the 7th best in the 144-year history of international cricket. Grit, discipline, patience and passion, all in equal measure, Conway’s staggering double-century knock at the Home of Cricket was the paragon of Test match batting. He was chosen ahead of New Zealand’s regular Tom Blundell, and he proved the management’s call as correct as any.

Conway played some scintillating strokes during his 347-ball stay, 22 fours in all, and brought up his double century with a sensational hook off Mark Wood that landed beyond deep square for a six. If that shot exuded fearlessness, it was after hours of confident stroke-play and remarkable control that he managed to pull it off.

That he was eyeing a long, sturdy knock was made clear on the first day, when Conway showed no nerves despite facing arguably the most potent bowling pair in the history of the game. James Anderson and Stuart Broad with the Dukes ball at Lord’s in one’s face on Test debut, none would have complained if he would have felt intimidated, but he went on to bat as if he was playing his 50th, not first Test.

Conway oozes class

He was solid in defence in the first session, having gotten close to the half-century, which arrived in the second. After a balanced start, Conway ensured to hang in the middle in the next two sessions even as the experienced Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor took the long walk back in a rush. Alongside Henry Nicholls, Conway efficiently negotiated the final session, bringing up his maiden century with a boundary off fellow debutant Ollie Robinson.

Resuming from 136 overnight, he marched on showing the hunger to score more. Once Wood trapped Nicholls in the short-ball ploy to bring curtains upon the 174-run fourth-wicket stand, New Zealand lost the plot and it momentarily seemed that Conway might run out of partners before reaching his double. However, he kept at it and strung crucial lower-order stands alongside Jamieson, Southee, and Wagner after all three in de Grandhomme, Watling and Santer fell in quick succession.

Not once in the nearly a day and a half he batted did it look that any of the England bowlers came even close to taking his wicket. And they could not, as in a rather anticlimactic way, Conway found himself inches short while trying to sneak a quick double, falling as the last New Zealand wicket. 200 of the 378 scored by the visitors came from his bat. In testing away conditions, Conway delivered a good notch or three higher than anyone would have expected from him.

Here is how Twitter reacted: