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Conway breaks Ganguly’s 25-year-old record at Lord’s

Written by Abhishek Patil

New Zealand opener Devon Conway on Wednesday surpassed former India captain Sourav Ganguly to record the highest Test score on debut at Lord’s during the first match of the series against England in London.

Notably, Conway surpassed Ganguly when the Kiwi opener crossed the 131-run mark in the 83rd over of New Zealand’s innings on Day 1 of the Lord’s Test. 25 years ago, Ganguly had scored 131 off 301 balls with 20 boundaries to become only the third player after Harry Graham and John Hampshire to hit a hundred on Test debut at the Lord’s. Conway and Ganguly also share a birthday of July 8

Batsmen to have scored Test debut hundred at Lord’s:

Harry Graham 107 AUS v ENG 1893

John Hampshire 107 ENG v WIS 1969

Sourav Ganguly 131 IND v ENG 1996

Andrew Strauss 112 ENG v NZL 2004

Matt Prior 126 no ENG v WIS 2007

Devon Conway TBC NZL v ENG 2021

While captain Kane Williamson and the experienced Ross Taylor both fell cheaply, the 29-year-old Conway pressed on to a 163-ball century, reaching the landmark with a flamboyant whipped legside four, his 11th boundary off England debutant fast bowler Ollie Robinson.

England debutant Robinson drew first blood to dismiss Tom Latham for 23 in the first session after the opening batsman had an inside edge crash into the stumps.

Anderson, playing his 161st Test match to equal former captain Alastair Cook’s record for most England caps, then got rid of Williamson in the first over after lunch — the seventh time he had dismissed him in tests.

Williamson looked to defend a rising delivery but the ball spun back to hit the top of off stump and he walked back to the pavilion for 13.

Taylor (14) followed him soon after when a Robinson delivery sneaked past his bat to rap him on the pads. Taylor briefly considered a review but walked off even as replays showed the ball heading straight for his leg stump.

About the author

Abhishek Patil