Cricket in new zealand

Cricket has been played in New Zealand for last 160 years and it took New Zealand 110 years to get Test status. Till 1980, in the last 50 years, New Zealand has played 136 Tests. New Zealand has provided top class players to world cricket, prime among whom was Richard Hadlee, the great all rounder of his time who took 400 test wickets, besides fine batsmen like Turner, Congdon and Howarth to whom went the honour of scoring a century in both innings of a Test match against England. John Wright, S Boak and Martin Crowe were also among the brave and tenacious batsmen. It is true that these players got better playing opportunities because of improved and modern means of transport and communication. Because of this they were thought to be better than the earlier players. But reflecting on the history of New Zealand cricket, there ara some names which are automatically recalled among whom is the Cambridge-nurtured TC Lowry, who played both cricket and rugby for New Zealand. Fast bowler GR Dickinson, opening batsman CS Dempster, who had clean-bowled Maccabe in the first innings of the Sydney test on the first ball and on the second ballin the second innings, MP Donnelly who scored a century for the Gentle-mens and in whose honour all the members at the Lords got up, and who played a great innings of 206 runs for New Zealand, Sutcliffe who had the honour of having a great average on the Ebgland tour of 1949, an average which is regarded as best after Bradman, John Reid whose tally of 15 sixes in an innings is still regarded as a record, WE Merit, who despite being a spinner was handed the new ball against the MCC in 1931 and who created a sensation by taking 7 wickets for 28 runs, fast bowler Bartlett who scalped Craig in New Zealand and maintained his hold in South Africa, and the fast bowler from Auckland Stemson, who in 1905 clean-bowled the Great Trumper, twice in two successive no-balls,were among those great players who always gave a tough fight to their rival teams and never accepted defeat easily.