AUCKLAND: Former New Zealand all-rounder Bruce Taylor, the only player to score a century and take a five-wicket haul on Test debut, has died at the age of 77, the country’s cricket board (NZC) said on Saturday.

Taylor, who had never scored a first-class century before, achieved the feat against India at Kolkata in 1965. Walking out at number eight, he struck 105 with the bat before registering figures of 5-86 with the ball.

He also scored New Zealand’s fastest Test century in a game against West Indies in 1969 before the record was broken by Daniel Vettori 36 years later.

Taylor played 30 Tests for New Zealand from 1965 to 1973, picking up 111 wickets at an average of 26.60 and scoring 898 runs at 20.40. He also featured in a couple of ODIs.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2021