Hailed as one of New Zealand’s finest Test batsmen – John Fulton Reid breathed his last on Tuesday as he lost a long-battle to cancer at the age of 64, New Zealand cricket confirmed the news. Reid, who made his Test debut against Pakistan in 1979, represented Black Caps in 19 Tests and 25 ODIs. Playing between 1979 and 1986, he mostly batted at No. 3 and finished his Test career with a noteworthy average of 46.28, which included six hundreds. Interestingly, Reid’s average is only second behind Kane Williamson among compatriots to play more than 20 innings.
Reid is also fondly remembered for his match-winning contribution in New Zealand’s innings-and-41-run victory against Australia at the pacy strip of Gabba. The left-handed batsman Reid and Martin Crowe combined for a then-record 224-run third-wicket stand which helped New Zealand score 553/7 declared. Sir Richard Hadlee shone with the ball as he picked up 15 wickets for 123.
After playing his final first-class game during the 1987-88 season, Reid took up management roles in New Zealand cricket. He served as the chief executive of Auckland Cricket, and then he was appointed the cricket operations manager and high-performance manager of New Zealand Cricket.
Reid also played a leading role in the establishment of the National High-Performance Centre at Lincoln.
During a chat with Herald on their 30th anniversary, Reid highlighted the importance of scoring runs on all kind of wickets including sub-continent tracks. He proved a point after the first five of his six centuries came at home or away against India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka.
“To bat through, when the wicket was still doing a bit, was special. It wasn’t an easy, flat pitch to start and I proved I could score a hundred outside sub-continent or spin-dominated attacks.
“Watching Martin bat so superbly, and me pushing ones and twos at the other end made for a fantastic platform.
“On faster, harder pitches there were benefits to playing down the ground. You were less vulnerable to getting caught than playing cross-bat shots. It altered my game plan and I consciously told myself to hit straight past mid-off and mid-on.”