Cricket: Martin's career 1st XV

Chris Martin has had some glowing moments in the past 11 years. Photo / Christine Cornege

This week Chris Martin will mark 11 years toiling in the New Zealand bowling attack. With his 200th test wicket in the win over Zimbabwe, and as the inaugural recipient of the Sir Richard Hadlee medal for player of the year, Andrew Alderson marks the strike bowler's enduring but often self-effacing impact on the New Zealand game

1 First wicket: Gary Kirsten
Martin had a tough debut as a 26-year-old against powerful South Africa at Bloemfontein. The Proteas had eased to 97 for one with Kirsten and Jacques Kallis in control. Then Nathan Astle pouched a catch for the scorebook entry "G. Kirsten c Astle b Martin 31". Martin's wicket tally had begun in 2000.

2 Man of the match to beat South Africa, Auckland 2004
Martin took 11 for 180 - the ninth best match bowling figures by a New Zealander and the best against South Africa. Underlining its significance: six of the eight spots above him are occupied by the names RJ Hadlee and DL Vettori.

Martin bouncing in off the long run, swinging the ball away from the trio of left-handers in the South African top six proved a great strategy. This was New Zealand's first test win at home in 13 attempts against South Africa, despite a 177-run opening partnership to start the match between Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs.

3 Stunning an Indian crowd into silence
In the first test of last year's series in Ahmedabad, Martin had the pleasure of dulling the usual decibel din. He reduced the hosts to five for 15 within the first 11 overs of their second innings after they started with a 28-run lead. Martin had four for 10 from 5.1 overs. The New Zealanders could not capitalise despite Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina dismissed. The match was drawn when Harbhajan Singh made a ton but it was entertainment while it lasted - Martin finished with five for 63.

4 Smacking 12 not out against Bangladesh
Martin strode to the wicket amid the usual cheers at Dunedin in January 2008 and promptly blasted two boundaries. Well, sort of. The first eased down the ground after he leant into an overpitched delivery outside off. The second he nursed over leg stump with an inside edge to beat an outstretched keeper. The crowd went ballistic. It was the first - and remains the only - time Martin had been past double figures. Shame Iain O'Brien couldn't stick around to hold up an end.

5 Passing Danny Morrison's 160 wicket mark
This took Martin into fourth on the New Zealand test wicket-taking list behind Sir Richard Hadlee (431), Daniel Vettori (350) and Chris Cairns (218). Martin didn't hang about in the opening test of the 2009 series in Sri Lanka. Within three balls he had Tharanga Paranavitana edging to Brendon McCullum. The ball was pitched up, luring the left-handed opener forward but gently swung away, coaxing the edge.

6 Reaching a century in his 60th test
Such is cricket's obsession with statistical minutiae, the prospect of Martin reaching 100 test runs was a talking point ahead of the first test against Pakistan at Hamilton in January. Sure enough, after three balls in the first innings he had them. A full toss was struck through the covers of a closely packed field and he and Brent Arnel ran hard for the three runs required. Cue a standing ovation. Martin finished seven not out. Such innings have rocketed his average to 2.47 of late.

7 The Learn to bat like Chris Martin' video
Having the grace to film this spoof with Pulp Sport underlines Martin's modesty and self-deprecating humour. It shows a montage of dreadful Martin dismissals and includes techniques to emulate his "strokemaking", like switching hands on the grip and tying a batsman's shoelaces together to assist footwork. The video finishes with him getting bowled followed by a straight-faced Martin saying: "It's out now." Not every New Zealand cricketer would be willing to poke fun at themselves to that extent. . .

8 Dismissing Jacques Rudolph
Martin lists this as his favourite wicket. Rudolph had scored 247 runs without dismissal across two tests but had no answer for his eighth ball in the South African second innings at the Basin Reserve. Martin produced a delivery which enticed the left-hander but moved away slightly and took out his off stump. Classical pace bowling.

9 Taking six for 54 to help beat Sri Lanka
Martin lists this as one of his best performances contributing to the team. His six first innings wickets all came from the Sri Lankan top seven batsmen; No 5 Thilan Samaraweera the exception. It saw Sri Lanka dismissed for 211. New Zealand declared at 522 for nine (Lou Vincent 224) and routed the visitors for 273 in the second innings to win by an innings and 38 runs.

10 Beating England by 189 runs to win the first test in Hamilton, 2008
Martin rates this as his fondest team performance where New Zealand dismissed England for 110 in 55 overs on the final day. He took three for 33 in the second innings but importantly the New Zealand attack bowled in useful partnerships and the fielders backed them up.

11 The 200th wicket
It took until the 118th over of the Zimbabwe first innings in the Bulawayo test - add to that most of the summer and an entire winter - to shake 199. A short-of-a-length ball saw Kyle Jarvis cut too close to his body and skipper Ross Taylor pouched the catch. An unassuming Martin grin completed proceedings.