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New Zealand came of age in Test cricket under the captaincy of Geoff
Howarth. For the first time they were able to field a team with a
nucleus of full-time professional cricketers - in previous years they
had mostly been weekend amateurs. With the cutting edge of the great
Richard Hadlee they were able to put together good results; beating
England, West Indies and Australia for the first time and expanding
their programme against the Asian countries. Howarth followed his
brother Hedley, who was seven years older, into the New Zealand side in
1974-75. He had been preparing for that day spending four years with
Surrey in the English County Championship, playing for them even before
he made his debut for Auckland. He made 51 not out in the second innings
of the Christchurch Test against England, but was left high and dry
when his last partner, Ewen Chatfield, was knocked out and taken away by
ambulance.
He became the leading New Zealand batsman of the late 1970s,
guiding the innings from the first wicket down. Against England in
1977-78 he made 122 in the second Test, then 94 at the Oval and 123 at
Lord's in 1978. That was followed by 114 against Pakistan at Napier and
he was appointed captain when West Indies came to New Zealand in
1979-80, with 147 at Christchurch. In the 1975 World Cup his best score
was 20 against East Africa. In 1979 he made 63 not out against Sri Lanka
at Trent Bridge and was lbw to Geoff Boycott for 7 in the semi-final.
He was captain in 1983, making 76 against Sri Lanka at Bristol and 60
versus England at Edgbaston. (Bob Harragan)
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