Barry Whitley Sinclair (23 October 1936 – 10 July 2022) was a New Zealand

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

er. He played 21

Test matches Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Indoor cricket, Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (associa ...

for New Zealand national team as a specialist batsman from 1962–63 to 1967–68, and captained the team from 1966 to 1968.

Early life

Sinclair was born in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...

on 23 October 1936. He attended

Rongotai College Rongotai College is a state single-sex boys' secondary school in the southeastern suburb of Rongotai, Wellington, New Zealand. Serving Years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 18), the school has 622 students as of July 2015. About 40 per cent of the student ...

in his hometown. He was first selected to play for

when he was eighteen.

Domestic career

Sinclair played for Wellington from 1955–56 to 1970–71. His first century came against Northern Districts in 1963–64, when he made 102 not out, out of a team total of 138 for 5, to take Wellington to a five-wicket victory almost single-handedly. His highest first-class score was 148, captaining Wellington against the Australians in 1966–67, out of a total of 365 for 7 on the first day.

International career

Sinclair scored three of his six first-class centuries in Tests, though never played in a winning Test side. He captained New Zealand in three Tests (the Second and Third Tests against England in 1965–66, and the First Test against India in 1967–68) and also in the four-match series against the visiting Australian team in 1966–67 and on the brief tour to Australia in 1967–68. He retired from international cricket in 1968 to concentrate on work. Sinclair's highest Test score was 138 against South Africa in Auckland in 1963–64, made in 345 minutes out of a team total of only 263. It was the only century by either side in the three-Test series; at the time, it was the highest Test score ever attained by a New Zealander in New Zealand. He took two Test wickets in ten overs, both against

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

in Lahore in 1964–65, after scoring 130 in the first innings. Sinclair's short stature was sometimes exploited by pace bowlers. However, he learned how to handle short-pitched deliveries. He was a neat, tidy batsman notable for his cutting and on-drives.

Christopher Martin-Jenkins Christopher Dennis Alexander Martin-Jenkins, MBE (20 January 1945 – 1 January 2013), also known as CMJ, was a British cricket journalist and a President of MCC. He was also the longest serving commentator for '' Test Match Special'' (TMS) o ...

described him thus: "Fair-haired and one of the smallest cricketers ever to appear orNew Zealand, Barry Sinclair was a sound and often fluent right-handed batsman with an indomitable spirit and an excellent field at cover."

Later life

Sinclair was made the inaugural patron of the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association in 2010. Five years later, he was voted a Legend of Wellington Sport. In the

2016 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...

, Sinclair was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

for services to cricket. Sinclair died on 10 July 2022 aged 85.

References

External links