First 11 inductees into New Zealand Cricket hall of fame revealed

NZ Herald

5 Dec, 2024 04:30 AM2 mins to read

Sir Richard Hadlee (left) and Brendon McCullum with the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy during the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Photo / Photosport

The first 11 players – seven men and four women – to be inducted into New Zealand Cricket’s hall of fame have been announced.

As the Basin Reserve prepares to play host to the Black Caps and England over the next five days, Wellington’s New Zealand Cricket Museum will also induct the foundation members of the hall of fame.

An exhibit of the 11 inductees, including portraits and interactive biographies for fans to engage with, will be on display at the museum.

An alliance between New Zealand Cricket, the New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA) and the New Zealand Cricket Museum, the hall of fame seeks to immortalise the country’s greatest cricketers, so players and fans of today can feel a sense of identity and a connection to those who have gone before them.

The rules require inductees to have played for New Zealand and to have been retired for at least five years, with criteria weighted in favour of performance, leadership and influence.

A short list was researched and compiled by cricket historian, statistician and author Francis Payne, without peer in his discipline within New Zealand, and stress-tested with New Zealand women’s cricket historian and author Trevor Auger, New Zealand Cricket president Lesley Murdoch, and the NZCPA.

Payne, the long-time co-author of the annual New Zealand Cricket Almanack, as well as various other publications including Men in White, said the beauty of the hall of fame concept was that it was a subjective exercise, calculated to cause discussion.

“The first intake is always the most straightforward as it includes some players who essentially pick themselves, they stand out that much,” said Payne.

“However, even in this phase there’ll still be discussions and debates about who should or should not be there – and that’s almost the point of the exercise, to keep the stories of New Zealand’s greatest players alive.”

The foundation inductees will be celebrated on the field during the lunch break on day one of the second test between the Black Caps and England at the Basin Reserve.

The New Zealand Cricket Museum, located in the ground’s Old Pavilion Stand, will be open throughout the test.