John Morrison - New Zealand - Batsman

John Morrison was a batting all-rounder by design although his bowling was sparingly used at the international level. His left-arm spin was mostly friendly to face and hence, the people who saw him getting wickets, nicknamed him as 'mystery' as they were unable to fathom how this Wellington lad was able to get success. Batting was Morrison's stronger suit though and he had a fairly strong technique with a stable base from which he could execute the strokes. He never enjoyed a settled batting spot though, pushed to open quite a few times and then being rotated around the middle order during the other matches. Batting at the top of the order proved a struggle for him, though his career-best knock came as an opener, a chanceless 117 against Australia in Sydney, 1974. Bad weather prevented it from being a match-winning knock. Inconsistent form saw him getting dropped in 1976, though he did return in 1982, only to disappear once again. He retired the next year after being ignored for the World Cup. In first-class cricket, he was a dominant figure, both as a batsman and leader. After retirement, he was an active commentator and selector apart from being a good public speaker. At present, he is the Wellington City Councillor.

Written by Hariprasad Sandanandan