Former New Zealand cricket Merv Wallace was born today in 1916 in Auckland. He went on to be known as one of the most underrated cricketers to have played for New Zealand. The right-hand batter had huge potential but somehow it remained untapped. He made his debut for New Zealand in 1937 against England at the home of cricket, Lord’s. He could only play 13 test matches for New Zealand where he scored 439 runs at an average of 20.90. His international career ended with an underwhelming tag but his long first-class career was phenomenal.
Merv Wallace played 121 first-class matches in his long career scoring 7757 runs at an exceptional average of 44.32. He had 17 centuries along with 43 half-centuries to his name with his highest score in an innings being 211 runs.
Coaching Hat
Merv Wallace’s love for the game was immense and it was his cricketing brain that impressed everyone. He became the coach of New Zealand in 1956 and remained in the position till 1970. Under his stewardship, New Zealand got its first victory against the West Indies.
There were many occasions when he was sidelined by decision-making authorities in New Zealand Cricket. He faced these precarious situations as a player and as a coach as well which earned him the tag of ‘underrated’ by those who were close to the cricketing fraternity in New Zealand. Some servants of the game go unnoticed but now and then they are remembered for their contributions. Merv Wallace is one such cricketer or servant of the game who did not rise to unimaginable heights of fame but his contributions were crucial for New Zealand cricket in its own right. Kiwi fans would remember him for the way he played the game and more importantly the way he approached the game.
Also read: Australia’s reliable opening batter Usman Khawaja was born in 1986