Ken Rutherford (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Robert Rutherford (born 26 October 1965) is a former New Zealand
cricketer
who enjoyed a ten-year career with the national team, and was captain for a period. Aged 19, with a solitary first class season behind him, he was asked to open the batting for New Zealand against West Indies when the latter were at the height of their powers. His first 7 scores in Tests were 0, 0, 4 (an edge through the slips), 0, 2, 1 and 5. Notwithstanding that unproductive start, Rutherford returned to the side afterwards and managed more success against West Indies when the latter toured New Zealand later in the 1980s.
Rutherford was more or less a steady feature of the side after his return (against Australia
a couple of years after his West Indian debacle). He had a habit of not converting fifties into centuries in Test cricket
- he clearly had the ability to do so, as shown by his 35 first-class centuries. He captained New Zealand's team for three years, with only two Test wins in 18 attempts in what was a difficult tenure as New Zealand struggled to find a replacement for the retired Richard Hadlee
and suffered the decline in power of their only world class batsman, Martin Crowe
.
Arguably, Rutherford's greatest success came in One Day International where he won ten matches as captain and made his highest international score, with 108 in a losing cause against India
. He was a member of the New Zealand side which reached the semi finals of the 1992 World Cup, their equal best performance in the tournament's history.
Upon being dropped from the New Zealand team in 1995, Rutherford moved to South Africa
, where he played first-class cricket
for five seasons, first for Transvaal and then for Gauteng
(which replaced Transvaal in 1994), before finally retiring, scoring a duck in his very last game. After retirement from the playing side of the game, he coached the Irish national cricket team
.
Rutherford's highest first-class score of 317, scored playing for a New Zealand touring side against a D.B.Close
XI at Scarborough in 1986, achieved several records for New Zealand cricket. it contained eight sixes and 45 boundary fours, crossing the boundary rope a record 53 times. The runs were scored in a day - the most runs scored in one day by a New Zealand batsman, and 199 of the runs were scored in one session between lunch and tea. The match was something of a festival occasion, with some elderly players in the fielding ranks, and Rutherford had not played with great distinction in the test matches.
Rutherford's elder brother Ian also played first-class cricket at a provincial level for Otago Volts
.
Rutherford's eldest son Hamish Rutherford
played in 2008 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia.
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
who enjoyed a ten-year career with the national team, and was captain for a period. Aged 19, with a solitary first class season behind him, he was asked to open the batting for New Zealand against West Indies when the latter were at the height of their powers. His first 7 scores in Tests were 0, 0, 4 (an edge through the slips), 0, 2, 1 and 5. Notwithstanding that unproductive start, Rutherford returned to the side afterwards and managed more success against West Indies when the latter toured New Zealand later in the 1980s.
Rutherford was more or less a steady feature of the side after his return (against Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
a couple of years after his West Indian debacle). He had a habit of not converting fifties into centuries in Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
- he clearly had the ability to do so, as shown by his 35 first-class centuries. He captained New Zealand's team for three years, with only two Test wins in 18 attempts in what was a difficult tenure as New Zealand struggled to find a replacement for the retired Richard Hadlee
Richard Hadlee
Sir Richard John Hadlee, MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer who played provincial cricket for Canterbury, Nottinghamshire and Tasmania. He is the son of Walter Hadlee, and the brother of Dayle and Barry Hadlee. His former wife Karen also played international cricket for New Zealand.Hadlee was...
and suffered the decline in power of their only world class batsman, Martin Crowe
Martin Crowe
Martin David Crowe is a former New Zealand cricketer. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1985, and was credited as one of the "best young batsmen in the world". Crowe represented New Zealand from the early 1980s until his retirement in 1996 as a right-handed batsman...
.
Arguably, Rutherford's greatest success came in One Day International where he won ten matches as captain and made his highest international score, with 108 in a losing cause against India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
. He was a member of the New Zealand side which reached the semi finals of the 1992 World Cup, their equal best performance in the tournament's history.
Upon being dropped from the New Zealand team in 1995, Rutherford moved to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, where he played first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
for five seasons, first for Transvaal and then for Gauteng
Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
(which replaced Transvaal in 1994), before finally retiring, scoring a duck in his very last game. After retirement from the playing side of the game, he coached the Irish national cricket team
Irish cricket team
The Ireland cricket team is the cricket team representing all of Ireland. Because of political difficulties, the Irish Cricket Union was not elected to the International Cricket Council until 1993, and qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2007. The Irish Cricket Union is the...
.
Rutherford's highest first-class score of 317, scored playing for a New Zealand touring side against a D.B.Close
Brian Close
Dennis Brian Close , usually known as Brian Close, is a former cricketer who is the youngest man ever to play Test cricket for England. He was picked for the Test team to play against New Zealand, in July 1949, when he was 18 years old. Close went on to play 22 Test matches for England,...
XI at Scarborough in 1986, achieved several records for New Zealand cricket. it contained eight sixes and 45 boundary fours, crossing the boundary rope a record 53 times. The runs were scored in a day - the most runs scored in one day by a New Zealand batsman, and 199 of the runs were scored in one session between lunch and tea. The match was something of a festival occasion, with some elderly players in the fielding ranks, and Rutherford had not played with great distinction in the test matches.
Rutherford's elder brother Ian also played first-class cricket at a provincial level for Otago Volts
Otago Volts
The Otago Volts are a first class cricket team representing the Otago Cricket Association, one of six major associations that make up New Zealand Cricket....
.
Rutherford's eldest son Hamish Rutherford
Hamish Rutherford
Hamish Duncan Rutherford is a New Zealand cricketer who plays first class cricket for Otago and was selected for the New Zealand U-19s. A left-handed batsman, occasional left-arm spin bowler and Twenty20 specialist, Rutherford is the son of former New Zealand Test captain Ken Rutherford and nephew...
played in 2008 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia.