Former New Zealand cricket player Ian Smith was awarded a Bert Sutcliffe medal for his outstanding services to cricket.
In a virtual ceremony held by NZC chairman Greg Barclay, he presented the medal for several people who had well deserved the medal of recognition. Aside from the former New Zealand wicketkeeper, batsman, and commentator Ian Smith, other recipients were Walter Hadlee, Graham Dowling, Merv Wallace, John Reid, Ewen Chatfield, and Sir Richard Hadlee.
Smith had his Test debut on November 1980. After then, he was able to play 63 Test matches for his country in a span of 12 years. One of his memorable performances was when he scored a total of 173 runs in a match against India held in Auckland in the year 1990. Aside from that, he had been a part of the NZ team which reached the semifinals of the 1992 World Cup.
After his retirement, Smith went on to be a renowned cricket broadcaster for two decades. In fact, he was one of the commentators in the nerve-racking 2019 World Cup finals between England and New Zealand held at Lord’s.
As he accepted the award, Smith said, ‘I'm so grateful. It makes me quite emotional actually to think about joining the list of people who have already won this award. The playing aspect was the realisation of a dream. I fondly remember the times keeping to Sir Richard Hadlee, watching Martin Crowe bat sides into submission and all the other guys playing their part as well’.
Barclay also congratulated Smith for his outstanding services in cricket as he had also handed in the award. ‘Thanks also for being true to yourself too. You're a special figure in cricket, you're held in high esteem throughout the game’, Barclay said.
Aside from his 63 Test matches, he also played 98 ODIs during his career. To further understand cricket formats, visit Betwala.
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