Ken Wadsworth

The first wicket-keeper batsman to score an ODI century, Ken Wadsworth's career was brutally cut short by skin cancer and he was only 29 when he passed away. A fantastic gloveman who never disappointed, Ken also batted competently for most parts of his career. Apart from that historical ODI ton, he didn't have an international century to show for but his name would always be in the record books for that feat. A native of Nelson, Ken made his First-class debut in the 1968-69 season and was soon fast-tracked into the national team where he became the first-choice keeper in a flash. He managed to play for more than 30 Tests and a handful of ODIs with the 50-over format just having started. The home series against India in 1975 was Ken's last as the tragedy struck soon after, in his native of Nelson. One of his biggest qualities was his never-say-die spirit and spunk which defined his cricket, especially his batting. He was quite hard-nosed for a New Zealander and was a no-nonsense player who just didn't like to lose. Not surprisingly, those who knew him felt that he should have been born on the other side of the Trans-Tasman border in Australia or perhaps in the Yorkshire climes of England. Ken's game was nearing its peak before he left the world and it was a great loss to the cricketing world, considering what could have been.

Written by Hariprasad Sadanandan