Brian Hastings

Strongly built and prematurely bald, Brian Hastings was a delightful timer of the ball, quick to take any opportunity to cut or hook, or to clip fast-medium bowling off his legs. A superb gully, he started with Wellington at 17, and was New Zealand's regular No. 4 in the early 1970s. Yet it took him a long time to convince the selectors of his ability - it was 11 years before he stepped up to international cricket. A consistent contributor, Hastings shared in a Test-record last-wicket stand of 151 with Richard Collinge against Pakistan at Auckland in 1972-73. He later became an international match referee. Christopher Martin-Jenkins

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