The masterclass of the kiwi debutant, Devon Conway finally ended with a run-out. England looked like they had run out of ideas to get the wicket of Conway who smashed a brilliant double century on this debut at the iconic Lord’s cricket ground. He became the first batsman to hit a double hundred against England in the first Test of the two-match series.
Devon Conway also became only the first New Zealand batsman since Matthew Sinclair in 1999, who has managed to score a double hundred on Test debut. He is overall the 7th batsman to achieve the feat. Conway, who has had a remarkable start to his international career, got to the landmark in style as he hit a six to reach the 200-run mark while batting with No. 11 Neil Wagner on Day 2 of the first Test.
Batsmen who have hit a double hundred on Test debut:
- Reg Foster (England) – 287
- Jacques Rudolph (South Africa) – 222
- Lawrence Rowe (West Indies) – 214
- Matthew Sinclair (New Zealand) – 214
- Kyle Mayers (West Indies) – 210
- Brendon Kuruppu (Sri Lanka) – 201*
- Devon Conway (New Zealand) – 200
Notably, Conway’s 200 is also the 3rd highest score by a southpaw on debut in Tests. He surpassed Shikhar Dhawan’s tally of 187. Only Jacques Rudolph (222) and Kyle Mayers (210) have hit more runs than Devon Conway in their first match in Test cricket. Incidentally, Devon Conway has never opened before the Lord’s Test in first-class cricket.
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Conway continued putting pressure on England as he stitched a 174-run partnership with Henry Nicholls for the 4th wicket. Following Nicholls’s wicket, Conway missed a stable partner but he looked in absolutely no trouble even as Mark Wood and debutant Ollie Robinson were helping England claw their way back into the contest.
During his double ton, Conway hit 22 boundaries and a lone six in the knock that was stamped with class. The opener was run-out on 200 as he looked to score some quick runs along with Wagner, who chipped in with an entertaining 25 not out.
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For England, debutant Robinson, who had a turbulent start to his Test career over racism controversy, picked up 4 wickets while Wood picked up 3 wickets. James Anderson also scalped a couple of wickets, including that of captain Kane Williamson, while Stuart Broad bowled 27 overs without finding success.
