Former New Zealand legspinner Jack Alabaster dies at 93

Former New Zealand legspinner Jack Alabaster died at the age of 93 in Cromwell on Tuesday night. Considered among the best legspinners to emerge from New Zealand, Alabaster played 21 Tests, taking 49 wickets somewhere in the range of 1955 and 1972. Alabaster was important for New Zealand's initial four Test wins. He was on visits to India and Pakistan in 1955-56, Britain in 1958, South Africa in 1961-62 and West Indies in 1971-72. He took 22 wickets in five Tests in the series in South Africa, assisting New Zealand with getting their most memorable series draw against them. He took seven wickets in the principal match of the series as New Zealand barely lost by 30 runs, prior to returning his vocation best match take of 8 for 180 in New Zealand's most memorable Test win abroad as they attracted level 1-1 the third Test. Addressing Otago in homegrown cricket, in all he played 143 top notch games and guaranteed 500 scalps. He played the initial two Tests on the West Indies visit in 1971-72, bowling Garry Sobers for his main wicket of the series before an Achilles ligament injury cut his visit off. He resigned from top notch cricket from that point onward, which implied his first and last five star games were both for New Zealand.