Top 10 New Zealand No.3 batsmen of all-time
New Zealand are perennial underachievers in cricket but there’s no doubt that the country has a strong cricketing history. Several of the world’s finest cricketers have come out of the country, including some brilliant batsmen.
No.3 is arguably the most relied-on batting position in any format of the game. New Zealand have produced some brilliant batsmen over the years.
Some of them have batted at No.3 for most of their careers while some have batted at the position during certain periods of their careers. Let’s take a look at 10 of the greatest No.3 batsmen produced by New Zealand.
#10. Nathan Astle
One of the country's greatest ever batsmen, Nathan Astle has scored most of his international runs as an opener or in the middle order. However, he has played some fine knocks while batting at No.3.
In Tests, Astle batted sporadically at No.3 as he was generally preferred at No.5. He has 131 runs to his name at an average of 50.97, scoring a steady 77-ball 64 against England at Lord's in 2004.
In ODIs, Astle was generally preferred as an opener. However, he did play 22 innings at No.3, scoring 786 runs at an average of 43.66. He scored 2 centuries- a 102 against Zimbabwe at Bloemfontein during the 2003 World Cup and 118 against West Indies at Christchurch in 2006.
Astle also played a T20I innings at No.3 against West Indies at Auckland in 2006. He scored an unbeaten 5.