Top 5 number 5s in Tests for New Zealand

As cliched as it may sound, the New Zealand cricket team has always been regarded as being greater than the sum of its parts and that was the case for much of their cricketing history.

However, at the same time, it must be said that they have had plenty of outstanding cricketers as part of their team over the last half a century and many of them have gone on to become greats of the game.

The Kiwis have also had their fair share of excellent middle-order batsmen, who represented the team with distinction at the number 5 position and many of them are still counted among New Zealand's finest batsmen.

Here is a look at 5 of their finest number 5s.

#5 John Reid

The right-hander was among the earliest greats of the New Zealand team and back in the 1950s and 1960s, he was the team's middle-order dasher.

John Reid played in 58 Test matches for New Zealand from 1949 and 1965 and played at number 5 in 25 of those games. Reid's game was based on scintillating stroke-play and he was well known for taking on the bowlers at every opportunity.

He was best known for hard hit shots to all corners of the ground and it is often said that he would have gone on to become one of the better limited-overs batsmen had he been born in a different era.

Still, he remains the 5th highest run scorer for New Zealand at number 5 with an aggregate of 1051 runs in 25 Tests and an average of 30.91. He made 2 centuries and 6 half-centuries as a number 5.

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