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Graham Thorne Dowling (born 4 March 1937) is a former 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 striki ...
er who played 39
Test matches Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...
and captained New Zealand in 19 of them. He led New Zealand to its first victory in a Test series, against Pakistan in November 1969. He was a specialist right-handed batsman who usually opened the innings.


Domestic career

Dowling captained Canterbury from 1962–63 to 1971–72. He led Canterbury to victory in New Zealand's inaugural one-day competition in 1971–72, when he won the Man of the Match award in both the semi-final and the final.


International career

Dowling captained the New Zealand Test team in 19 consecutive matches from 1968 to 1972. He led New Zealand to its first Test victories over India and Pakistan. His finest moment came at Christchurch in 1967–68 when he made a nine-hour 239 that led to New Zealand's first victory against India. It was his first match as captain, and he was the only player to score a double century on his captaincy debut until the feat was equalled by Shivnarine Chanderpaul against South Africa in 2005. At the time, his 239 was the highest Test score for New Zealand. Nevertheless, New Zealand lost the two remaining Tests of the series to go down 1–3. Dowling led New Zealand in 12 Tests in 1969, including three victories. They beat West Indies in Wellington in March, and shared the three-Test series 1–1. On a long nine-Test tour from June to November, they lost to England 0–2, shared the series with India 1–1, then beat Pakistan 1–0, New Zealand's first victory in a Test series. He lost the middle finger of his left hand in 1970 after suffering an injury on the brief tour to Australia in 1969–70. On the tour to the West Indies in 1971–72 he suffered a back injury and had to return home after the Second Test. It was his last first-class match.


After cricket

In the 1987 New Year Honours, Dowling was appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
, for services to cricket.


References


External links

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Graham Dowling reflects on his career
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowling, Graham New Zealand Test cricket captains New Zealand Test cricketers New Zealand cricketers Canterbury cricketers 1937 births Living people New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire South Island cricketers