Chris Martin      

Hardworking with the ball and outrageously feeble with the bat, Chris Martin was the most consistent thing about the New Zealand pace attack in the first decade of the 2000s. A tall, angular fast-medium bowler with a high leap as he approaches the crease, Martin relies more on accuracy and gentle seam movement than pace or prodigious swing. He would have been an ideal second lead in the armoury of captains Stephen Fleming and Daniel Vettori but Shane Bond's frequent injuries meant Martin has often been thrust into the role of No. 1 fast man. The 11 wickets he took against South Africa in Auckland in March 2004, in his first Test for nearly two years, showed that he could bowl New Zealand to victories but tearing through batting line-ups was not his usual modus operandi and he has often had to bowl long spells à la Ewen Chatfield. By the end of the decade Martin was New Zealand's fourth highest Test wicket taker of all time but he was equally well known for his comically inept batting. Getting Martin out is as difficult as making a cup of tea and often takes less time. No New Zealand player has made more Test ducks than Martin, who did not make a double-figure score until his 36th Test, against Bangladesh. His inability to put bat on ball has cost him the chance to play more one-day and Twenty20 cricket.
Brydon Coverdale

• November 17-21, 2000
  A promising debut
  • Chris Martin makes his Test debut at the age of 25 in Bloemfontein in a losing cause, but shows plenty of promise, taking 3 for 89 in South Africa's march to 471 in the first innings. Gary Kirsten, Neil McKenzie and Shaun Pollock are his victims, and he follows that up with the wicket of Jacques Kallis in the second innings.
    
• December 9, 2000
  The first duck
  • The start of something special, for he goes on to become a rarity in modern cricket - the classical tail-ender, joining the elite list of Courtney Walsh, Bhagwat Chandrasekar and Glenn McGrath. He starts that journey when he is bowled by Jacques Kallis in Johannesburg.
    
• December 29, 2000
  A maiden five-for
  • He takes a step towards cementing his place as New Zealand's opening bowler, grabbing his first five-wicket haul against Zimbabwe in a drawn Test in Wellington. As his career progresses, he develops a preference for home conditions where he has a majority of his success.
    
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• January 2, 2001
  Not too hot in ODIs
  • Martin's ODI career gets off to a tepid start as he concedes 53 runs in seven wicketless overs against Zimbabwe in Taupo.
    
• March 2001-May 2002
  The slump
  • After grabbing 16 wickets in his first four Tests, Martin ends up with just 18 more in his next seven and is dropped for almost two years amid competition from Shane Bond and Daryl Tuffey.
    
• March 18-22, 2004
  A stunning comeback
  • Martin marks a triumphant return to international cricket with 11 wickets in the Auckland Test against South Africa to level the series. He takes 6 for 76 and 5 for 104 to help New Zealand to a nine-wicket win. He finishes with 18 wickets in the series.
    
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• April 11, 2005
  More success at home
  • Martin continues to thrive in friendly swinging conditions at home, picking up 6 for 54, his best figures Test figures, to cut into Sri Lanka in Wellington and set up an innings win and, with it, victory in the series.
    
• May 6, 2006
  Spirited effort away
  • The Wanderers serves as the stage for one of his finest overseas performances, as he takes 5 for 37 to bowl out South Africa for 186 in reply to New Zealand's 119. However, the visitors lose the game after South Africa manage to scale down a testing 217 in their chase.
    
• December 7, 2006
  Hundred Test wickets
  • A major landmark for Martin in Christchurch in his 32nd Test, as wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene becomes Martin's 100th Test scalp, caught by Jamie How.
    
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• January 5, 2008
  Going past 10
  • Another landmark, as Martin gets to his first double-figure score, in his 36th Test. He makes an unbeaten 12 against Bangladesh in Dunedin, and lives up to expectations with the ball, taking six wickets in the Test to contribute to a nine-wicket win.
    
• December 2008
  Dropped again
  • Martin is left out of the Test series against West Indies as a result of another slump in form and is replaced by Mark Gillespie. However, he makes his return in March 2009 against India.
    
• December 13, 2009
  A landmark duck
  • Martin scores his 27th duck in Tests, against Pakistan in Napier, going past Merv Dillon to take the fifth spot in the list of batsmen with most ducks. By this time, he has also accumulated six pairs in Tests, the most by a batsman.
    
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