Devon Conway is back home.
Eight years after selling everything he owned and leaving South Africa to pursue a cricket career in New Zealand, Conway is back, not just in the country but the city and the stadium where his sporting journey began. Johannesburg. The Wanderers. The place where he thought he was closing a door that has recently re-opened.
"I've come full circle," Conway told ESPNcricinfo from his new team Joburg Super Kings' headquarters. "It's been a great opportunity for me to catch up with old mates and find my old seat in the change room and it's been quite fun just being back at the Wanderers again."
That's an entirely different feeling from the one he had in 2017, the last time he was at the Bullring. Then, Conway was dismissed for a five-ball duck in a 50-over game, two days after recording his first red-ball double-century. The disappointment and delight aside, Conway also had to deal with the emotions of making the biggest decision of his life: he was going to move abroad and start again.
Even though he was 26 at the time and knew he would be 29 by the time he was eligible to represent his adopted country, New Zealand, he took the chance. It paid off and he has since gone on to become the fastest batter to 1,000 Test runs for New Zealand and is an established member of their white-ball squads, but has not played a game in South Africa. So it stands to reason that his first taste of his old home was not as sweet as he would have wanted it to be and a little too similar to his new one.
In JSK's tournament opener against MICT, a Trent Boult outswinger found Conway's outside edge and he was dismissed for 9. His second outing was a washout so he had to wait for a third bite of the cherry to tuck in. Against defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Conway struck a 56-ball 76 as JSK chased down 119 and earned a bonus point over the team they will play again in the eliminator on the Highveld. In that innings, Conway punctured the off side with shot after shot through and over backward point, the covers, mid-off and long-off in a display of complete dominance.
His next two trips brought scores of 20 and 21 but he'll be hoping to save the best for last if JSK get to the final, which will also be played at the Wanderers, where conditions are not quite what Conway remembers. "The wicket has changed a little bit and it's starting to turn a little bit more than what it used to," he said.
Slower, lower surfaces have been the trend throughout this season of the SA20 but happily the venues were only a small part of what Conway was looking forward to. The people were the main drawcard, especially when it worked out that Conway would be reunited with one of his oldest friends in the game, Tabraiz Shamsi. The pair grew up together, playing for rival schools and then the Gauteng provincial side.
When they couldn't crack the top tier of domestic cricket on the Highveld, they moved to Durban together to see if their careers would kick off on the coast. There, they split duties into cooking (Shamsi's job, and his specialty was grilled chicken) and doing the dishes (Conway's domain) and developed what Conway called a "special bond", and the only difference is that the boys with big dreams then are men who have achieved them now.
"Not much else has changed," Conway said. "Shammo is still one of the pranksters, one of the jokers, and still likes doing his magic tricks. He's just a guy that's just full of life. So I really enjoy his company."
He's said the same of many of his former team-mates that he has come across again including Imran Tahir, who was playing in Durban when Conway and Shamsi moved there, and Faf du Plessis, against whom Conway played in the initial stages of his career. Now, they've combined to form a strong opening combination and are JSK's two leading run-scorers of the group stage.
"I've absolutely loved playing under Faf. He's quite a calm, relaxed captain, very passionate and leads from the front. He's 40 but looks like he's 20. He's built like a Greek god," Conway said. "And I really enjoy opening the batting with him. He's striking the ball really well. It's great for us players to look up to him and get behind him and support him."
And it's not just in the SA20 that Conway and du Plessis have worked well together. They were the leading opening pair at last year's MLC, where they played for the Texas Super Kings, and both have pre-existing relationships with the Chennai Super Kings, though du Plessis no longer plays for them in the IPL.
Increasingly, players represent the same franchise in different leagues and that consistency can provide both financial and playing freedom and Conway is a good example of this. In August last year, with opportunities around the world and a baby on the way, Conway turned down a New Zealand central contract in favour of a casual deal that allowed him to play in the SA20 and not the Super Smash, and continue to work with Stephen Fleming.
Conway has seen Fleming mastermind CSK's turnaround from second-last in the 2022 IPL to champions in 2023, and now take JSK to the playoffs for a third successive year despite losing their entire first-choice seam attack to injury. "One of the superpowers that he [Fleming] has is the fact that he's very consistent through wins and losses. He doesn't really ride those waves too high or too low and think that's a credit to his coaching style," Conway said.
That doesn't mean Fleming is always easygoing. "There are times in this tournament where we haven't quite performed the way we should have and he's pulled us into line at times but it's always been in a way that it's constructive and the guys can take the learnings from those performances."
Notably, Fleming was harsh on the batters when JSK were held to 99 for 9 by Pretoria Capitals in a defeat that put their playoff hopes at risk. Then, Fleming questioned whether the batters had the mindset to work their way out of tough situations or if they simply try to play too many big shots, after five of JSK's top six were out trying to hit the cover off the ball. They went on to win their next two matches and sneak into the final four, and now have a shot at the title.
With this year's final being played at the Wanderers, it would be even more special for Conway if JSK go all the way.
"In every tournament that you play in, you want to win, but this would rank up really high. It's one I'd like to try and achieve, particularly in this tournament, in Johannesburg in South Africa," he said, confirming the desire for home has not dimmed at all. "It's funny how the world works. After leaving Johannesburg and going to New Zealand, I've now come back to play in the SA20 and I'm just very grateful to be part of it. Hopefully I can be a part of it in years to come."