Kiwi great Sutcliffe dies

Sutcliffe shows his style at the end of his career

Bert Sutcliffe, regarded as one of cricket's greatest ever left-handed batsmen, has died at the age of 77.

Sutcliffe, who scored more than 2,700 Test runs, was suffering from emphysema and cancer and died in hospital in Auckland.

Remarkably for a player considered New Zealand's Don Bradman, Sutcliffe never featured in a Test victory.

His 24-year career, which started in 1942, saw him achieve figures of 17,447 runs at an average of 47.41 in first-class cricket, and 2,727 runs at 40.1 in Tests.

Reid tribute

He made his name on the 1949 tour of England with Walter Hadlee's team when, after a slow start to the tour, scored 2627 runs at an average of around 60.

John Reid, the New Zealand captain for much of Sutcliffe's career, said: "If anyone deserved to play in a New Zealand victory, it was Bert Sutcliffe.

"He put so much effort into the country's cricket on and off the field and deserved to be part of a Test winning side."

He won the hearts of cricket enthusiasts in South Africa in the Ellis Park test of 1953.

Sutcliffe was hit on the ear by a kicking delivery from paceman Neil Adcock.

Records set

He marched back to the crease after being x-rayed and bandaged to play a memorable innings of 80 not out, hammering seven sixes.

In the innings, he equalled the world record for most runs in an over, 25, which was beaten by fellow New Zealander Craig McMillan only three weeks ago when he scored 26.

It was Sutcliffe's finest hour, but also his most traumatic.

"I lost my nerve after being hit in South Africa," he said.

"I worked very hard to overcome it, but the problem remained with me for the rest of my career. It was a mental block."

Sutcliffe continued playing until 1966, with one of his career highlights 230 not out against India in 1956.

In 1952 he played his most incredible innings, 385 for Otago against Canterbury at Lancaster Park, when the rest of the Otago side scored just 86 and the next highest score was 29.

That 385 remained a world record by a left-hander for more than 40 years until West Indian Brian Lara scored 501.

In February, Sutcliffe was remembered when the ground at Lincoln University, near Christchurch, was named the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in his honour.