Name:

Petherick, Peter James

Date of Birth:

25 Sep 1942

Gender:

Men

Place of Birth:

Ranfurly, Otago

Date Died:

07 Jun 2015

Career:

Test: 1976 - 1977

Teams:

New Zealand (Country)

Peter Petherick was a right-arm off-spinner whose late entry into international cricket was one of the more unusual stories in Test history.

Born in Ranfurly, Otago, on 25 September 1942, he worked as a mechanic and did not make his first-class debut until the age of 33. Playing for Otago from 1975–76, he made an immediate impact, taking 42 wickets at 20.13 in his debut season, including 9 for 93 against Northern Districts. His performances earned him the New Zealand Cricket Almanack Player of the Year award in 1976.

Petherick made his Test debut against Pakistan at Lahore in October 1976 and produced an extraordinary feat, taking a hat-trick in his first Test. He dismissed Javed Miandad, Wasim Raza and Intikhab Alam with successive deliveries, becoming only the third bowler in Test history to take a hat-trick on debut, after England’s Maurice Allom and Australia’s Damien Fleming. Petherick remains one of only two New Zealand bowlers to have taken a Test hat-trick.

He played six Tests between 1976 and 1977, taking 16 wickets at 42.56, with best innings figures of 3 for 90.

His first-class record was considerably stronger, with 189 wickets at 24.47 in 52 matches, including nine five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket matches. After moving to Wellington, he continued playing first-class cricket until 1980–81.

After retirement, Petherick took up lawn bowls and reached the final of the New Zealand national pairs championship in 2006.

Petherick died in Perth, Western Australia, on 7 June 2015, aged 72.