Stephen Boock

Wisden overview
Tall and curly haired, Stephen Boock was an orthodox slow left-armer with excellent control and considerable power of spin. Also an outstanding short-leg fieldsman, Boock (who pronounces his name to rhyme with "Hock") had the thrill of making his Test debut at Wellington in 1977-78, when New Zealand beat England for the first time. A few months later he returned the remarkable figures of 28-18-29-2 as England scored 429 at Trent Bridge. He played a prominent role in New Zealand's first series win over England in 1983-84, taking 4 for 37 in a one-sided match at Christchurch. But it was Boock's misfortune to coincide with an era favouring limited-overs cricket, a game not suited to his rather old-fashioned values: indeed he left one tour of Australia early, seeing no prospect of playing. A genuine tailender, he nevertheless batted grittily, and at Sydney in 1985-86 made 37 of a New Zealand record last-wicket partnership of 124.
Christopher Martin-Jenkins

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