Auckland: Former New Zealand all-rounder, Bruce Taylor, the only cricketer to have scored a century and take a five-wicket haul on his Test debut, passed away on Saturday. He was 77.
“NZC is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of NZ all-rounder, Bruce Taylor, aged 77. In his 30 Tests, Bruce was a force of nature & remains the only player in the world to have scored a century & taken a five-for on Test debut. Our thoughts are with his family and close friends,” the official handle of New Zealand Cricket tweeted.
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NZC is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of NZ all-rounder, Bruce Taylor, aged 77. In his 30 Tests, Bruce was a force of nature & remains the only player in the world to have scored a century & taken a five-for on Test debut. Our thoughts are with his family & close friends
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) February 6, 2021
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Taylor, who had never scored a first-class century before, achieved the feat against India at Kolkata in 1965. Walking out at number eight, he struck 105 with the bat before registering figures of 5-86 with the ball.
He also scored New Zealand’s fastest test century in a game against West Indies in 1969 before the record was broken by Daniel Vettori 36 years later.
Taylor played 32 matches for New Zealand. Thirty of those appearances came in the longest format, where he scored 898 runs at an average of 20.40 and took 111 wickets at an average of 26.60, with a career-best 7 for 74 against the West Indies in 1972.
