South Africa's Devon Conway cleared to play for New Zealand

On Tuesday, South Africa born Devon Conway has been declared eligible to play for his new-found home in New Zealand. The 28-year-old was granted an exceptional circumstance dispensation by the ICC. It allows him to be eligible for New Zealand selection before the August 28 deadline that was given to the left-hander earlier. The same was confirmed by ICC in a statement, meaning he will be allowed for selection in New Zealand's 'A' tour of India. 

"The South African-born Conway has also been granted an Exceptional Circumstance dispensation by the ICC which means should he be selected for the NZ 'A' tour of India (starting August 15) or the BLACKCAPS tour of Bangladesh (starting August 12), he will be allowed to play in tour matches ahead of the August 28 deadline," said ICC, reported The Times Of India.

The southpaw has been in amazing form, being the top run-scorer in the first-class Plunket Shield, the List A Ford Trophy, and the T20 Super Smash - all of the three domestic competitions in the 2019-20 season. Moreso, it has been a reward for his performance in New Zealand's domestic setup and another loss for the South African national team. 

"It's really awesome to have that solid date, 28th of August, as a reminder to say that you're pretty close. In saying that, it doesn't guarantee selection. So I am pretty happy to hear about that." said Conway, reported TOI. 

"But you've just gotta keep working hard and hopefully get an opportunity to break into that Black Caps team, which is pretty awesome at the moment - you've got world-class players there and it won't be easy to get into that team," he added. 

However, Conway might need to wait longer for his New Zealand debut and join the likes of Grant Elliott and Neil Wagner, who were also born and raised in South Africa but went on to play for New Zealand as both the tours are still uncertain due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put all cricket and all sports in suspension.