Bert Sutcliffe

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Bert Sutcliffe New Zealand (NZ)
Batting style	Left-hand bat
Bowling type	Slow left-arm orthodox
	Tests	First-class
Matches	42	233
Runs scored	2727	17447
Batting average	40.10	47.41
100s/50s	5/15	44/83
Top score	230*	385
Balls bowled	538	5978
Wickets	4	86
Bowling average	86.00	38.05
5 wickets in innings	0	2
10 wickets in match	0	0
Best bowling	2/38	5/19
Catches/stumpings	20/-	160/1
Test debut: 21 March 1947 Last Test: 27 May 1965 Source: Cricinfo

Bert Sutcliffe MBE (17 November 1923 in Ponsonby, New Zealand – 20 April 2001 in Auckland) was a New Zealand cricketer.

Sutcliffe was one of the best left-hand bats of his era and one of the great New Zealand batsmen. His batting feats on tour in England in 1949, which included four fifties and a century in the Tests, earned him the accolade of being one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year.

He captained New Zealand in four Tests in the early 1950s, losing three of them and drawing the other. In fact, none of Sutcliffe's 42 Tests resulted in a New Zealand victory.

He will forever be remembered for his innings of 80 not out against South Africa in Johannesburg on Boxing Day 1953. New Zealand's batsmen were destroyed by South African fast bowler Neil Adcock on a green wicket. Sutcliffe was hit in the head by Adcock (as were a number of his team mates) and left the field to receive hospital treatment. He unexpectedly returned to the crease, deathly pale, his head swathed in bandages. He took to the bowling, smashing a number of sixes, until the ninth wicket fell. The New Zealand fast bowler Bob Blair was understood to be back at the team hotel distraught as his fiancee had been killed in the Tangiwai disaster two days earlier.

Sutcliffe started to walk off only to see Blair walk out into the bright sunshine. Despite the presence of 23,000 fans, silence enveloped the ground. The two Kiwis walked back to the wicket arm-in-arm, stunning the South African crowd in one of the most emotional moments ever seen in test cricket history. 33 runs were added in 10 minutes before Blair was out. New Zealand lost the test match by a considerable margin. Notwithstanding this, the noted new Zealand cricket writer Dick Brittenden said 'it was a great and glorious victory, a story every New Zealand boy should learn at his mother's knee.'

After he retired from cricket he became a coach.

Preceded by Walter Hadlee

New Zealand national cricket captain 1951/2

Succeeded by Merv Wallace

[edit] References

• Cricinfo page on Bert Sutcliffe

[edit] External links

• The Greatest 80 in Test Cricket