Geoff Howarth

Geoff Howarth was a gritty batsman who represented New Zealand from the mid 1970s till the mid 1980s. Having made his first-class debut in 1971, he had to wait till 1975 for his maiden national call-up. His initial domestic cricket days were at Surrey where he moved up the ladder in terms of division cricket. Consistent performances saw him finally earning a place back home in New Zealand's Plunket Shield.

Even after making his international debut, there was no guarantee over his spot in the side due to inconsistent performances. Howarth did conjure a fifty in the second innings of his debut Test but the next few years saw only one more half-century before the successive home-away series against England in 1978. He notched up his first ever Test ton and followed it up with another one in the very next innings. In fact, he could have made it three in a row, only to get dismissed at 94. He did produce another century in the same year and his career had firmly come on track with that phenomenal run of scores.

Howarth's ODI career was a disappointing one to say the least. Being shuffled around the batting order didn't help his cause but nor did he try to grab his opportunities. For a pure batsman, having just six fifties over a 70-match career speaks volumes of his inconsistent form. Perhaps, it had to do with the mental inability to adjust to the shorter format because Howarth was comfortable in Test cricket after the initial jitters. Captaincy inevitably followed due to his tactical acumen and deft leadership skills.

New Zealand cricket's resurgence did have its fair share of contributions from Howarth the captain, leading his side to their first ever Test win in England. He was an inspirational personality and his energy was infectious for his teammates. The latter stages of Howarth's international career wasn't ideal for a cricketer of his stature. Poor form saw him being dropped from both the domestic and national sides. Eventually he retired from the sport after the 1985-86 season. His contributions fetched him honors, MBE in 1981 and OBE in 1984 while also getting the coaching job of the national team in the 1990s.

Written by Hariprasad Sandanandan