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Devon Conway will play his first match at any level at Sky Stadium, without a single spectator on the ground.
It was Waitangi Day 2019, the last time Devon Conway graced Wellington’s Sky Stadium.
However, the Black Caps treadmill was not taking guard on the pitch. Still 18 months away from qualifying for the New Zealand national team, Conway was one of 14,353 fans who walked through the doors and sat in plastic seats to watch the Indian side tour.
“The last game I saw [at the stadium] It was Black Caps against India when Timmy Seifert played very well and got 80 points in that game. I was in the stands and there was a very nice atmosphere, “he said.
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On Wednesday night, Conway will play his first innings on the multipurpose field in his adoptive hometown, amid precisely zero atmosphere thanks to Covid-19 alert level restrictions.
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Instead of an originally anticipated crowd of over 20,000 after 14,000 tickets were previously sold (and have since been refunded), the doors will close as the Black Caps chase a 3-0 series win against Australia with no spectators, lo which the sides did for the Sydney ODI last March before the tour was dropped.
The cricket without crowds is unprecedented at Sky Stadium. When day-night pink ball matches were being tested, a spooky Plunket Shield contest was held between Wellington and Otago in 2017, which was essentially seen only by ground crew.
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Black Caps hitter Devon Conway during his 99 innings was not against Australia before a full house at Hagley Oval.
At least, Conway said, they are still playing cricket under alert level 2 in Wellington. He’s a long way from the first game in a packed Hagley Oval last Monday when Conway hit the last ball of the Black Caps innings at 98 not out, the decibel level through the roof.
“I know a lot of outside things happened in Christchurch when I faced that last ball. But as a player, you really go into that zone and try to separate everything else and focus on the task at hand.
“Yes, it could be a bit calmer on Wednesday, but the mindset and plan to be in the moment will remain the same.”
Conway and his teammates met in Wellington on Sunday night and trained at the Basin Reserve on Monday, where Conway has scored a ton of runs for the Firebirds since arriving in New Zealand from South Africa in 2017.
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Glenn Phillips, right, and Devon Conway celebrate an Australian wicket with the Dunedin crowd last Thursday.
Auckland players Jimmy Neesham, Martin Guptill, Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips, who flew through Hamilton on Sunday, were absent from the Basin in hotel isolation as they awaited their Covid-19 test results upon arrival. A team spokesman confirmed Monday night that all four tested negative and will train Tuesday.
Kyle Jamieson, the other Auckland player on the team, had stayed in Christchurch with his teammate’s family after the four-race win at Dunedin and was able to train.
“They called us to the hotel [on Sunday] and we stick together like a little bubble to create that safe environment for us, ”Conway said.
“Those late changes got us down to business, but it’s a smart move, so we’re playing our part to be safe and at least it gives us an extended opportunity to keep playing cricket.”
New Zealand Cricket announced further changes on Monday, having traded Friday’s fourth game from Auckland to Wellington. The end of the Sunday afternoon tour at Tauranga’s Bay Oval also moved to the capital.
It means three straight double headers in Wellington, with the women of White Ferns and England arriving from Dunedin on Monday to prepare for their three-match T20 series.
With the current alert levels (3 in Auckland and 2 in the rest if the country) until Sunday at 6am, there is a possibility that there will be a crowd for the fifth game if the community broadcast is contained in Auckland.
The Australian cricketers flew to Wellington on Friday and had the weekend off when the Black Caps also disbanded. They resumed training in the Basin on Monday.
Conway starred in the first game with a heavy innings of 99 not eliminated, then it was Guptill’s turn at Dunedin to shoot 97 of 50 balls for a total of 219-7. Allrounder Jimmy Neesham had a monster game there, and he threw a cool final to keep the Black Caps on track to a fifth series win at home after beating the West Indies and Pakistan in T20 and testing this summer, with a lone defeat at Napier. .
“It’s a pretty good setup to be a part of, and we feel like we have the majority of the bases covered,” Conway said.
