Cat litter on practise wickets - Devon Conway's unique method to counter Ravichandran Ashwin

Yet to make his Test debut, new Blackcaps sensation Devon Conway is of the opinion that practising with the Dukes cricket ball back in New Zealand will help them immensely in their England tour. The Kiwis face the challenge of England in a two-match Test series ahead of the ICC World Test Championship final against India in Southampton in the month of June. The two-match Test series against England will serve as a perfect preparation for the Kiwis ahead of one of their biggest match in Test history. 

“That was very beneficial for us, you know, having that opportunity to play amongst the Dukes ball, get to learn how it works, and try and formulate a game plan, how to go about things,” Conway said in an online press interaction.

“But yeah, I think not a lot changes. You know, we understand that the Dukes ball does swing a little bit more than what the Kookaburra does, but you know, you've just got to face the ball and come up with a game plan and stick by it,” Conway further added. 

The two-match Test series against England starts on 2nd June with the Test Championship final slated to be held against India at Southampton starting from 18th of the same month. Conway who is included in the 20-man squad is among the three uncapped players chosen for the tour. 

The stylish left-handed batsman stated that the camp back in Lincoln with the Dukes ball rather than the Kookaburra which New Zealand usually uses at home was ideal. 

Conway is leaving no stones unturned and is making sure that he is well equipped to the Indian spinners if he does get a chance in the Test Championship final. 

The southpaw sprinkled cat litter on practice wickets to ensure that roughs are created which might help him in countering the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the all-important final. With some big names in the New Zealand ranks, Conway is hoping to gather as much experience from proven campaigners like Tom Latham and Ross Taylor. 

“It has been a massive learning curve for me, in terms of how the protocols are all set in place, and just trying to adhere through all that. You know, just seeing the guys being around the group for an extended period, it's been fun. And, yeah, a lot of memories created already in the short period,” Conway said. 

“In the Test setup, the guys have been here for a very long time. So you know, it’s good to sort of learn from the experience of players that have been at this level, they've been playing at this level for a long period,” the left-handed batsman further added. 

Playing in England is always a challenging ask for any foreigner. It’s never easy to adjust to the cold weather and adjusting to the conditions is a challenge in itself feels Conway. 

“It’s about adapting to the lower degrees. I think that’s a slight challenge in itself but I think, you know, once the body acclimatised to that, it’s about just really understanding what you want to do and not overcomplicate things,” Conway concluded.