This is a list of New Zealand's best cricket test players. A test match is an international cricket match between two leading cricket nations. Many legends were outstanding during their times in test matches. Many players from New Zealand were famous worldwide for their performance. Players like Ted Badcock, Roger Blunt were some of the quite well-known players from New Zealand. Below is the top 10 best players under which each player won their test limit.
1. Ted Badcock
Ted Badcock has played for New Zealand in just seven matches between 1929-30 and 1932-33, although he was born in India and was trained at the University of Wellington, Berkshire. His first test match was against England in Wellington, New Zealand. He ended his trial career just three years later, bowling to Hammond, scoring 227 and 336 in the only two test matches against England in New Zealand in 1932-33. At all of his first-class cricket matches, he has scored 2,356 runs with an average of 26.47, covering four centuries, and 214 wickets with 23 apiece.
2. Roger Blunt
Durhamborne all-rounder Roger Blunt played in New Zealand's first nine innings. He started primarily as a leg spinner but grew up as a batsman. He was Wisden Cricketer of the year before New Zealand auditioned after a formidable 1927 tour and hit for West Christchurch against Riccarton 42 off an eight ball in an over in 1923, with seven sixes. Against Canterbury, he scored 338 runs for Otago in 1931-32 and he is one of New Zealand's five players with triple centuries. Blunt died in London in 1966.
3. Stewie Dempster
Stewie Dempster is probably one the best batsmen New Zealand has ever witnessed. His first test was played against England during the MCC Tour in 1929-30 but he failed to score. On his second test, he scored 136 runs in 80 balls. In 1931 he scored 120 not out against England at Lord's with an average of 59.26. In his ten Tests, he scored 723 runs with an average of 65. He was the leading scorer for Leicestershire, scoring twice, triple centuries, in consecutive innings. Wisden voted him one of the Five Cricketers of the Year in 1932. He was great on the field, usually as a wicketkeeper. In first-class games, Dempster scored 12,267 runs with an average of 45.43.
4. George Dickinson
George Dickinson played for New Zealand in the first two Tests against Harold Gilligan's team in 1929-30. As aspeedy bowler, he took five wickets for 134 runs and the Woolley award, twice disallowed. His only other test appearance was against South Africa two years later, when he took three off 111. Against Canterbury, his best figures are 11 off 89 for Otago in 1924-25. His debut match was against England at Christchurch in January 1930.
5. Henry Foley
Henry Foley is claimed to be the first New Zealand hitter to be bowled out in trials against England in Christchurch in 1929-30. It was his only test in a short career that was hampered by illness. He was a tremendously skilled left-hand opener, a solid player with patience, and a skilled slip player. Henry played for the Wellington club in 15 matches, scoring 670 runs with an average of 33.50. His best bowling figures are 2/16, with an economy of 3.76.
6. Matt Henderson
Henderson was a left-handed pitcher and tail hitter who debuted in the first-class game against Wellington in 1921-22 and went 5 for 66 in his second game against Auckland. He took 12 wickets in two games for an average of 17.75 during the 1926-27 season, including 6 off 70 against Auckland. In 1927, he toured England with Tom Lowry, but no trials were performed during the tour. Henderson's only Test debut came at Christchurch, New Zealand, in January 1930, when he was 34 years old, against England, led by Harold Gilligan. He took 333 wickets in Wellington club cricket throughout his long career.
7. Ken James
When Ken arrived in England with the New Zealand first team in 1927, in qualifying for Northamptonshire, he played from 1935 to 1939, and after his service with R.N.Z.A.F, he returned to New Zealand during the war. In a career for Wellington that began in 1923, he had knocked several centuries and was considered a reliable batsman for the team. He had an excellent reputation as a wicketkeeper, but he started getting used to going back to medium-speed bowling. He excelled at managing his turn for a spin with W.E.Merritt, his colleague from New Zealand who joined him in Northampton.
8. Tom Lowry
As an outstanding captain, Lowry always wanted to win and not to draw. On both tours against England and Australia, he was one of the most trusted players on the team. He returned in 1937, this time as a coach and to play, when he played 121 innings in 105 minutes against Nottinghamshire, it proved he was still worthy of the spot. A powerful man, an excellent attacking batsman, always in his prime when the team was is in crisis. Later he become the president of the New Zealand Cricket Council.
9. Bill Merritt
Merritt used to stay in England to play cricket in the Lancashire League and Rugby League for Wigan and Halifax respectively. He had been a three-fourths wing of the Canterbury team. He was a very successful all-rounder for Rishton and returned to New Zealand for another season in 1935-36. He had 31 wickets in all three Plunket Shield games, a record of that time. His record of 385 wickets for New Zealand cricket was a record for some time in New Zealand. He played 41 games for Northamptonshire from 1938-1946, taking 151 wickets with an average of 19.75 with the bat, his highest score being 87.
10. Curly Page
Curly Page was New Zealand's second Test captain. He had a standout performance in any sport he chose, but he was particularly notable in cricket and rugby, an All Black scrum-half in 1928. When he was selected to play for Canterbury against a strong Australian side in 1921, he was still a student at Christchurch Boys' High School. He continued to represent the Province until 1937. Even though the Plunket Shield program only allowed for three games at the time, he scored 2,424 runs for Canterbury at an average of 33.20. In 1931-32, he had his highest score of 206 against Wellington. He hit nine hundreds and amassed 5,857 runs in first-class cricket, averaging 29.88.
