There were signs of something special from Devon Conway in South Africa's domestic T20 competition back in 2015 but it's in New Zealand where his cricketing journey has skyrocketed.
Arriving in the capital as an overseas pro, Conway threw himself into Wellington's club cricket scene.
Victoria University of Wellington Cricket Club’s Matt Fowler remembers Conway’s arrival like it was yesterday.
“It was him and his partner, Kim,” Fowler said.
“They turned up, his gear was all in the glad wrap. He was excited, nervous, but excited.
“We took him around Wellington. I pointed out a few grounds that he should score runs at… Most of those grounds, now, he's scored runs at.”
The fact he was swiftly picked up by the Firebirds soon after came as no surprise but Conway is now finally getting his shot at the international level after being named in the Black Caps’ T20 squad for their upcoming series against the West Indies.
“It's pretty surreal. I don't think I've got to terms with the emotions,” Conway said after the selection.
“[It] will take a couple of days to settle in. [It's] a great honour to be named in that squad and [I'm] excited for what lies ahead."
Conway said he’s been getting plenty of phone calls from much of his family who still live in South Africa.
“The phone was going off at 5am, woke me up a bit,” he said.
“They're very proud of the fact I'm getting the opportunity to play for New Zealand. They fully backed my move over here.”
Fowler expects there will be a few more grounds Conway will score on now that he’s finally in black.
“A lot of good cricketers have a bit of ego about them. There's none of that with Dev.
“What you see is exactly what you get.”
And what you get is the country's most prolific domestic batsman.
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