5 New Zealand players who were unlucky to have not played more for their country

New Zealand have come a long way from their first Test in 1930 against England and their first ODI in the 1972–73 season against Pakistan and have traditionally been a side who have relied more on a collective effort rather than individual performers.

Players like Sir Richard Hadlee, Shane Bond, Martin Crowe and Brendon McCullum have been exceptions to the rule, often single-handedly winning matches for their side during their career for the Black Caps.

There are a few players though who were unfortunate not to get the number of international caps for New Zealand that their talent deserved owing to a number of reasons and one can only wonder how their career would have turned out if they had got more opportunities under their belt.

Let's take a look at 5 such New Zealand cricketers who were unlucky to have not played more for their country.

---

#5 Andre Adams

With his gentle medium-pace swing bowling and occasional big hits with the bat, Andre Adams had an enjoyable run in the New Zealand ODI side in the early 2000s, playing 42 ODIs in which he picked up 53 wickets, including a five-wicket haul against India.

He also played a single Test for New Zealand and was unfortunate not to have played more when you consider the fact that he picked up 6 wickets with the ball in the match against England in 2002 at Eden Park, Auckland - his home ground.

Though he continued playing ODI cricket up until 2007, he was surprisingly not considered for Test cricket and remained a one-Test wonder for the Black Caps.

#4 Rodney Redmond

Rodney Redmond scored 107 and 56 in his only two Test innings for New Zealand

How about scoring a century and a half-century in your first ever Test match for your country and never playing another one again? Well, that's the story of Rodney Redmond who scored 107 and 56 against Pakistan at Auckland in his debut Test in 1973.

That match was the third and final Test of the series and New Zealand's next international assignment saw them heading to England later that year but Redmond was unable to fulfil the heightened expectations as he struggled for form, unable to adjust to the new contact lenses that he had to put on.

He played only two ODIs during the tour and was not picked for any of the Test matches and was dropped from the team.

Redmond failed to stage a comeback and retired from first-class and List A cricket at the end of the 1975/76 season.

#3 John Fulton Reid

JF Reid scored 1296 runs from 31 innings at an average of 46.28 during his 19-match Test career

New Zealand's John Fulton Reid is best remembered for his outstanding conversion rate in Test cricket - scoring 6 centuries and 2 half-centuries - during his 19-match Test career.

He scored 1296 runs from 31 innings at an average of 46.28 and was unlucky not have played more cricket for the Black Caps.

Part of the reason may have been the alarming difference in his average when batting in the first and second innings of the match. While he was prolific in the first innings, averaging 68.41, Reid's second innings average was a dismal 12.09, a difference of more than 56 runs.

Reid, who was also a Geography teacher, put cricket aside, turning down the opportunity to tour the Carribean with the national team in 1984-85, but was prolific on his return, scoring three centuries in four Test matches.

However, after a lean return of just 11 runs in his final five Tests against Australia, Reid fund himself out of the national side and was unable to make a comeback for the rest of his career.

#2 Stewie Dempster

Dempster's batting average of 65.72 ranks second only to Don Bradman’s 99.94 with a 10-innings cut-off

Touted widely as the first great New Zealand batsman, Stewie Dempster was an exceptional player of slow bowling who impressed equally in the domestic level as well as at the highest level of the game.

Dempster's batting average of 65.72 ranks second only to Don Bradman’s 99.94 with a 10-innings cut-off and it was a shame that his time with the New Zealand national team was restricted to just 10 Tests, in which he scored 723 runs with two centuries and five half-centuries.

He scored an unbeaten 83 in his final Test innings against England in 1933 before he decided to give up national colours and settle in England being priced away by Leicestershire millionaire Sir Julien Cahn who signed him up to play for his private team.

Dempster's first-class figures make for impressive reading having scored 12145 runs from 306 innings, including 35 centuries.

#1 Jack Cowie

Jack Cowie's international career was restricted to just 9 Tests due to World War II

Averaging 21.53 with the ball - the best for any New Zealander - and a strike rate of 45, which is second only to Shane Bond, Jack Cowie's promising Test career was unfortunately restricted to just 9 matches owing to World War II.

Cowie famously took 114 wickets at 19.95 during New Zealand's tour of England in 1937 but he was robbed of the best years of his career owing to the World War.

Cowie took 45 wickets from 9 Test matches and was an outstanding player for Auckland in the domestic circuit picking up 359 wickets from just 86 matches.

Had it not been the unfortunate circumstances that limited his international career, he could well have been talked about as one of the greatest bowlers in the game's history.

---

Agree with our list? Disagree? Tell us in the comments below!