ENG vs NZ | Conway works really hard in the nets and is a keen learner, reveals Tim Southee

Devon Conway, with a double-hundred in his debut Test innings at the mecca of cricket, Lord's, has become the talk of the town. Given his displays in the shorter-formats and his strong FC record, it was a matter of time before he nailed the Test format too, but to be able to do that in his first red-ball innings itself that too against England which boasts the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, two of the world's greatest, was simply phenomenal. He ended up making 200 of the 378 runs scored by New Zealand and no English bowler could dismiss him as it was a run-out that brought about his downfall.

Reflecting on Devon Conway's special innings, senior pacer Tim Southee stated that it was an incredible knock and reckoned that Conway is someone who does the hard yards in the nets and is always willing to learn.

"It was an incredible innings. He has been around our FC scene for a long time and he has made a lot of runs in domestic cricket. He has already got a 99 in T20I, 100 in ODI and now a ton in Test too. He's a special player and we have known that for some time now. He works really hard in the nets and is willing to learn from the other batters. He's a keen learner," Southee said in the presser after the end of Day 2's play.

On day two of the Test series opener, Conway started from where he had left on day one, and batted like a seasoned campaigner. He's someone who knows how to make big hundreds, with his highest score in FC being 327*. Southee further added that Conway is calm, disciplined and it's his hunger that sets him apart.

"His discipline and hunger to bat for a long period is what sets him apart. He can hit in some funny areas but also play some incredible shots like the one he played to bring up his 200. He can weigh you down.

"He's a pretty calm guy, he knows his game well, he's 29 and has taken international cricket into stride. Even Kyle Jamieson has done really well. Both these guys are keen learners and are always asking questions and wanting to pick other brains and have a good work ethic."

The Lord's Test has presented a placid pitch to kick-start the summer. Still, the Kiwi pacers were able to draw a lot of movement early on and even struck twice to have England reeling at 18-2 once before Rory Burns (59*) and Joe Root (42*) did the rescue act to help England finish the day on 111 runs. Southee reckoned that despite the pitch being difficult to start for the batters, the bowlers will need to put Burns and Root under pressure to get back on top.

"There's a little bit of swing early on and I think we bowled really well to get early wickets. But we need to create pressure for long periods with two guys set in the middle and the older ball at our disposal. It's Test cricket and nothing comes easy and as I said it's shaping up for three good days of cricket. It's not a easy wicket to start on and that would be in the minds of the guys coming in as well."