A strapping right-arm pace bowler, who could double up as a handy lower order batsman, Dion Joseph Nash played 32 Tests and 81 ODIs for New Zealand before persistent injuries drew the curtains down on what could have been a brighter career.

His debut was nothing short of a fairy-tale as he became the first and hitherto only player to score a fifty and take 10+ wickets (11 wickets) in a Test match at Lord's. In 1995 he signed up with Middlesex in a bid to sharpen his skills. Just when his career was blossoming, he was slapped with a suspension along with Stephen Fleming and Matthew Hart for smoking marijuana on the tour of South Africa the same year.

Later during the visit to West Indies, Nash picked up a back problem, which culminated in the termination of his Middlesex contract. He fell away on the international scene too and only made spasmodic appearances from thereon.

When Stephen Fleming was injured in 1998, Nash took over over the captaincy to tie the one-day series with India, then lead New Zealand into the Tests and first ODIs against South Africa. He also shone in 1999 World Cup, proving an ideal foil for Geoff Allott. But with injuries playing truant, the motivation ran out as Nash retired in May 2002, just 6 months short of the 10-year anniversary of his international debut in 1992.

By Cricketlineguruji Staff