Cricket: Robert Anderson, member of historic NZ team, dies aged 76
Robert Anderson (centre) celebrates a dismissal along with Geoff Howarth (left) and Mark Burgess (right) during the 1978 test against England.
Photo:
Supplied: NZ Cricket
Top order batter Robert Anderson - a member of the New Zealand side to achieve an historic first test win over England in 1978 - has died aged 76.
Born in 1948, Anderson was a tall, strong man known by his team-mates and opponents alike as "Jumbo," and hailed from a cricketing family.
His father Mac Anderson opened the batting with Walter Hadlee in New Zealand's test against Australia at the Basin Reserve in 1946, while his son Tim later played as a leg-spinner for Central Districts.
His own career began with Canterbury in 1967-68, and he went on to represent three other New Zealand provinces: Northern Districts (1969-70), Otago (1971/72-1976/77), and Central Districts (1977/78-1981/82).
Anderson's international career began with a tour of England in 1973, though he did not play a test.
His test debut came in Lahore in 1976 during New Zealand's tour of Pakistan, a match that highlighted his grit.
Scoring 92 in the second innings, his highest test score, Anderson forged a 183-run fifth-wicket partnership with Mark Burgess (111) in just 155 minutes, a New Zealand record at the time.
With New Zealand following on 260 runs behind, their stand rescued the side from 62 for four, though Pakistan clinched a four-wicket victory.
The match was notable for other debutants: Peter Petherick took a hat-trick, Warren Lees stepped in as wicketkeeper following Ken Wadsworth's death and and Javed Miandad announced himself to the world with an innings of 163.
Anderson's finest hour came during the 1977-78 season, his most prolific, when he scored 849 runs at 38.59 (across all competitions).
That summer, he played all three tests against England and was part of New Zealand's landmark 72-run victory at the Basin Reserve, the first time New Zealand had defeated England in a test.
Though his contributions with the bat (28 and 26) were modest, they were vital in a low-scoring match - his 26 being the top score across both the New Zealand and England second innings.
Retained for the 1978 tour of England, Anderson played nine tests in total, with his 92 in Lahore remaining his best.
-RNZ
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