Richard Collinge

Facing Richard Collinge was a terrifying prospect for most batsmen during the 1960s and 1970s. Steaming in from a long run up from that staggering tall frame of his, he could extract disconcerting bounce off the surface and along with it any seam movement that was on offer. Collinge also had the skill to swing the ball both ways which made him a dangerous customer to deal with, particularly on pitches that had a bit of juice in them. He wasn't a genuine quick in terms of pace but had enough speed to rattle the batsmen, especially due to the bounce factor. Collinge was the spearhead of the New Zealand attack during his heydays and was instrumental in some of the country's iconic Test wins, notably their first ever victories over England and Australia respectively. A temperamentally cool customer unlike other aggressive fast bowlers, Collinge mostly caused damage with the new ball when he could challenge the best of batsmen with his examination of seam, swing and uncomfortable bounce.

This is not to say that Collinge wasn't without flaws. He was a terribly homesick person which meant that he wasn't always comfortable or available for overseas trips. A true family man, he perhaps was emotionally too attached to his folks that it affected his games away from home. Also, on good batting surfaces with negligible movement, Collinge struggled to make an impact because he didn't quite have the pace to unsettle the batsmen who could use his bounce to execute strokes of full value. These setbacks aside, he had a fine career for New Zealand and retired as the highest wicket-taker for the Kiwis. He was a giant in the domestic scene, with more than 500 first-class wickets to his name. Collinge was also a more than handy batsman lower down the order, combative and spunky in nature. He once held the highest ever score by a no.11, when he smashed an unbeaten 68 in 1972-73 against Pakistan.