Cricket: Collinge still in record books

SYDNEY - Former New Zealand cricketer Richard Collinge is philosophical about losing his near 32-year record for the highest test score by a No 11 batsman.

Indian tailender Zaheer Khan toppled Collinge's 68 not out with 75 during his side's rout of Bangladesh at the weekend.

"That's the thing about records, they are made to be broken," Collinge, who lives in Sydney, said yesterday.

"To be honest, I didn't know I held the record until about two or three years ago when someone told me about it.

"After 32 years, it is someone else's turn."

There are two consolations for Collinge. His 68 not out formed part of a 151-run partnership with Brian Hastings against Pakistan at Auckland early in 1973. It remains the highest 10th-wicket partnership in test history, though it was equalled by Pakistanis Azhar Mahmood and Mushtaq Ahmed against South Africa in 1997-98.

The other consolation is that Zaheer is, like Collinge, a left-arm fast medium bowler.

"It is good to keep it in the family," Collinge joked.

He was pleased Australian tailender Glenn McGrath didn't take his record when scoring 61 against New Zealand in Brisbane last month.

"New Zealand didn't bowl well to him. They were too short. They should have bowled on a length outside the off-stump to a six-three field. That's the way I would have bowled, anyway."

The 58-year-old accountant remembers his partnership with Hastings reasonably well, though he plays down his own role.

Pakistan scored 402, but when Collinge joined Hastings at the crease New Zealand were struggling at 251 for nine.

"The immediate task was to avoid the follow-on, we needed one or two runs to do that. Things just developed, we started to get on top and Brian was batting exceptionally well."

Their partnership enabled New Zealand to equal the Pakistan score before Hastings was bowled for 110. The match was eventually drawn.

Collinge was the New Zealand bowling attack's spearhead for many years. He made his test debut against Pakistan in the 1964-65 season and retired after the third test against England at Lord's in 1978, with 116 test wickets to his credit, a national record at the time.

One of his finest moments was when New Zealand beat England for the first time in a test, at Wellington in 1977-78.

- NZPA