Black Caps coach Gary Stead says Devon Conway has no eye problems

Saturday, 17 February 2024

Kane Williamson scored his third century of the series as the Black Caps chased down 267 to beat South Africa in Hamilton.

Black Caps opener suffered eye problems in Bangladesh
Devon Conway’s form struggles continued against South Africa
Head coach Gary Stead insists Conway’s vision is now fine ahead of a test series versus Australia

Black Caps coach Gary Stead insists out-of-form opener Devon Conway no longer has any problems with his eyes, ahead of the two-test series against Australia.

It’s understood when the Black Caps played their two-test series in Bangladesh late last year following the World Cup, Conway suffered a health ailment during the tour which notably affected his eyes.

In the second test win in Mirpur, the opener made scores of 11 and 2 and it’s understood his vision was impacted while batting.

“He was sick … but his eyes are fine now,” Stead said when quizzed over the matter on Saturday morning following New Zealand’s 2-0 series win over South Africa.

Black Caps opener Devon Conway has been struggling for runs.

“I wasn’t over there, so I don’t know for absolute sure,” said Stead, who didn’t tour with the team.

“All our batsmen get their eyes checked reasonably regularly just to make sure, and he has no problems with his vision. He’s seen eye people, so I’m sure he’s had them tested.”

The opener made just 47 runs in four innings in the series against the understrength Proteas. He recorded a three-ball duck in NZ's first innings in the second test, followed by 17 from 44 balls in the second dig.

Following his 1 and 29 in the opening-test win in Mt Maunganui, it meant Conway now has eight successive test scores below 30, and 22 (20 international) successive scores below 46 across all formats, dating back to that brilliant 152 not out last October in the ODI World Cup opener against England

Tshepo Moreki of South Africa celebrates the wicket of New Zealand’s Devon Conway during the first test in Mount Maunganui.

After boasting a world-class test average of 54.76 following last summer’s series in Pakistan, the 32-year-old’s numbers have fallen to 41.58 following New Zealand’s series-clinching win over South Africa in Hamilton.

“I thought Devon looked fantastic actually before he went out in that last over,” Stead said of Conway’s second innings at Seddon Park.

“He started, I think, to look like the Devon of old.

“He’s obviously come off a very long block of cricket, when you consider back to last year and he played a fair chunk of the winter. I think at the moment he’s just trying to deal with getting back into cricket after we gave him a break after that Bangladesh series.

“He’s a class player, he averages over 40 in test cricket as an opener, and I think when you look at that as a whole, then you say that there is definitely class there and that we have a lot of faith and trust in him.”

The Black Caps squad for the test series against the current world test champions is likely to be named on Sunday morning.

The squad will be without injured pace bowler Kyle Jamieson, who revealed on Saturday that he will be out of cricket for at least a year after scans showed a new stress fracture in his back.

The Black Caps fast bowler was already expected to miss the two-test series against Australia, but scans this week showed a new injury in the same location where he was operated on last year.