West Indies in New Zealand, 1968-69
New Zealand gained considerable satisfaction from sharing the honours of their three-match series with the West Indies
R.T. Brittenden
15-Apr-1970
New Zealand gained considerable satisfaction from sharing the honours of their three-match series with the West Indies. It must be conceded that the visiting team sometimes looked tired after the rigours of the Australian tour; nevertheless, it was an encouraging performance by New Zealand as a preliminary to their visit to England. The First Test was lost, but only because of a refreshing and welcome attacking attitude by the New Zealand captain, Dowling, and in each of the Tests the New Zealand batting had a depth which had been lacking in recent years.
The outstanding performer for the West Indies was Nurse, who scored 826 runs in New Zealand at an average of 91.8. Before the final Test, he announced that he would retire at the end of the tour; and then he scored 258, a spectacular farewell innings.
Hastings, in his first Test series for New Zealand, averaged almost 60. On the fringe of national selection for some years, this 29-year-old right-hander thoroughly justified his promotion with sensible and attractive batting.
TEST MATCH AVERAGES
| Matches | Inns. | Not Outs | Runs | Highest Inns. | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. R. Taylor | 3 | 5 | 2 | 209 | 124 | 69.66 |
| B. F. Hastings | 3 | 6 | 2 | 239 | 117* | 59.75 |
| B. E. Congdon | 3 | 6 | 0 | 233 | 85 | 38.83 |
| G. T. Dowling | 3 | 6 | 0 | 232 | 76 | 36.66 |
| V. Pollard | 3 | 5 | 1 | 129 | 51* | 32.25 |
| G. M. Turner | 3 | 6 | 0 | 183 | 74 | 30.50 |
| B. W. Yuile | 3 | 6 | 0 | 128 | 37 | 21.33 |
| M. G. Burgess | 2 | 4 | 0 | 69 | 30 | 17.25 |
| R. C. Motz | 3 | 4 | 0 | 60 | 23 | 15.00 |
| R. S. Cunis | 3 | 4 | 1 | 38 | 20* | 12.66 |
| B. D. Milburn | 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 4* | 8.00 |
| Also batted: R. W. Morgan 16* and 0. | ||||||
| Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Average | |
| R. C. Motz | 89 | 11 | 381 | 17 | 22.41 |
| B. W. Yuile | 65 | 13 | 244 | 9 | 27.11 |
| V. Pollard | 52 | 12 | 173 | 4 | 43.25 |
| R. S. Cunis | 81 | 11 | 321 | 6 | 53.50 |
| B. R. Taylor | 62.3 | 4 | 268 | 5 | 53.60 |