Top 10 New Zealand cricketers of all time

#6. Glenn Turner

Glenn Turner was the highest run-scorer at the inaugural Cricket World Cup

One of New Zealand’s most prolific batsmen of all-time, Glenn Turner was one of the finest and most reliable batsmen during his playing days. The former Kiwi skipper had a fruitful first-class career with 34,346 runs comprising 148 fifties and 103 centuries.

Turner also had a pretty impressive international career with 2991 Test runs from 41 Tests at an average of 44.64 with 14 fifties and 7 hundreds to his name, 259 being his highest score. Turner played only 41 ODIs, scoring 1598 runs at an impressive average of 47 with 9 fifties and 3 centuries to his name.

Turner’s highest ODI score of 171 not out is the longest innings in ODI history in terms of number of balls faced (201). This innings came against East Africa at the 1975 World Cup where he was the highest run-scorer with 333 runs as New Zealand reached the semi-finals.

#5. Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum holds the record for the fastest Test century

It will come as a shock to many that one of the most destructive and prolific batsmen of all-time Brendn McCullum is only 5th on the list but that’s just how good the top four are. A highly aggressive batsman with a knack to his sixes, McCullum made his debut in 2002 before establishing himself as a regular for the team and one of the best keeper-batsmen of his generation.

McCullum went on to play for the Kiwis for 14 years, helping them to their maiden World Cup final in 2015 where he played several crucial quick innings for them. McCullum retired like a true lion in the best possible manner by scoring the fastest Test century off 54 balls, thus bettering the previous record of 55 balls held by Viv Richards and Adam Gilchrist.

McCullum ended his Test career with 6453 runs, the second most for New Zealand. McCullum smashed 31 fifties and 12 hundreds at an average of 38.64 with a mammoth 302 against India at Wellington being his highest Test score. McCullum is New Zealand’s fourth highest run-scorer in ODIs with 6083 runs at an average of 30.41 and an impressive strike rate of 96.37, 166 being his highest score.

Baz is currently the highest run-scorer in T20Is with 2140 runs at an average of 35.66 and a strike rate of 136.21 with 13 fifties and two hundreds to his name. A knock of 123 against Bangladesh at the 2012 ICC World T20 is his highest T20I score.

McCullum has taken the second most number of dismissals for the Kiwis in Test cricket at 179 (168 catches, 11 stumpings) behind Adam Parore’s 201 dismissals. The all-rounder is 6th amongst most dismissals by a keeper in ODIs with 242 dismissals (227 catches, 15 stumpings). He also has 32 dismissals to his name in T20Is (24 catches, 8 stumpings)