Bevan Congdon

Bevan Ernest Congdon OBE (11 February 1938 – 10 February 2018) was a New Zealand cricket all-rounder who played 61 Test matches and 11 One Day Internationals from 1965 to 1978, which included a spell as captain.

He was captain of the New Zealand Test and ODI team from 1972 to 1974, and was the first New Zealand captain to record a victory over Australia. Congdon was principally a batsman but also became a useful medium-pace bowler midway through his career.

His finest moments in Tests were in England in 1973 when he scored 176 at Trent Bridge and 175 at Lord’s in successive Tests, and during the determined foray by the Kiwis to the West Indies in 1972, when he took over the captaincy from Graham Dowling. In the Trent Bridge match, New Zealand chased 479 in the final innings, falling short by only 38 runs. At the time, this was a record for a highest score in the fourth innings to lose a match.

In 1975, Congdon became the first New Zealand batsman to score an ODI century at Basin Reserve, the second one was scored by Kane Williamson, 43 years later, on 6 January 2018 vs. Pakistan.

The innings at Lord’s contributed to New Zealand making 551, their highest score in Tests at the time. Asked afterwards how he prepared for Test cricket in his remote, intemperate South Island hometown, he replied that net pitches in Motueka prepared one for anything.

Test 5 Wicket hauls

#	Figures	Match	Opponent	Venue	City	Country	Year
1	5/65	51	India	Eden Park	Auckland	New Zealand	1976

Test centuries

Test centuries of Bevan Congdon
No	Runs	Match	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year	Result
	104	11	England	Christchurch, New Zealand	Lancaster Park	1966	Drawn
	166*	33	West Indies	Port of Spain, Trinidad	Queen’s Park Oval	1972	Drawn
	126	34	West Indies	Bridgetown, Barbados	Kensington Oval	1972	Drawn
	176	40	England	Nottingham, England	Trent Bridge	1973	Lost
	175	41	England	London, England	Lord’s	1973	Drawn
	132	46	Australia	Wellington, New Zealand	Basin Reserve	1974	Drawn
	107*	54	Australia	Christchurch, New Zealand	Lancaster Park	1977	Drawn

One Day International centuries

One Day International centuries of Bevan Congdon
No	Runs	Match	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year	Result
	101	7	England	Wellington, New Zealand	Basin Reserve	1975	No result