Geoff Pullar

A tall, strong left-hander, Geoff Pullar was known as "Noddy" because of his ability to fall asleep in any situation. But he was awake enough at the crease, playing mainly off the front foot and accumulating runs assiduously on the leg side. He started as a middle-order batsman, but his solid technique and phlegmatic temperament persuaded the England selectors to try him as an opener in 1959. He responded with 75 against India at Headingley, followed by 131 at Old Trafford -- the first Test century scored by a Lancastrian on his home ground. He withstood the West Indian fast bowlers calmly and successfully in 1959-60, but his form fell away in the latter part of his international career.
Christopher Martin-Jenkins

Adapted by Wisden from World Cricketers: A Biographical Dictionary (Oxford, 1996).