Former New Zealand cricketer Jack Alabaster passes away at 93

Former New Zealand leg-spinner Jack Alabaster passed away at the age of 93 Cromwell on Tuesday, April 9. He was considered as one of the finest spinners to have played for the Blackcaps.

Alabaster made his Test debut against Pakistan in October 1955, while his final Test came in March 1972 against the West Indies. The Invercargill-born played 21 Tests and picked up 49 wickets at an average of 38.02 and a strike rate of 81.47. He was also a member of New Zealand's first four Test wins. Alabaster was on tours to India and Pakistan in 1955-56, England in 1958, South Africa in 1961-62 and West Indies in 1971-72.

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His performances during his first stint with the national team were disappointing and he was dropped from the side. But that didn't deter his spirits as Alabaster went back to domestic cricket and had a strong couple of seasons for Otago from 1956 to 1958, when he bagged 36 wickets at an average of 18. During this campaign, Alabaster took a 10-wicket haul against Auckland and was recalled to the New Zealand team in 1958 for the tour to England.

He took 22 wickets in five Tests in the series in South Africa, helping New Zealand get their first series draw against the Proteas. He took seven wickets in the first match as New Zealand narrowly lost by 30 runs, before returning with a career-best match haul of 8 for 180 in the Blackcaps' first away Test win as they leveled the series 1-1 in the third Test.

In his first-class career, Alabaster played 143 matches and picked up 500 wickets at an average of 25.37 and a strike rate of 60.20, including 25 five-wicket hauls.

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Alabaster toured West Indies in 1971-72 when he was 41 years old. It was his last series in which he bagged only one wicket in two Tests and it was of the legendary Gary Sobers. An Achilles tendon injury ended his tour prematurely and he decided to retire a few days later. After drawing curtains on his cricketing career, Alabaster served as the principal of Kingswell High School in Invercargill. He also became a Rector of Southland Boys High School in Invercargill in 1981.