Farewell to Matt Hart

Matthew Hart is hanging up his boots. After fifteen seasons and 95 games for Northern Districts he is retiring from the game. There was something old fashioned about the way Matt Hart played cricket. His left-arm orthodox spin bowling was out of another time - a flashback to the years when spinning the ball was regarded as just a gimmick and New Zealand was served by bowlers like Stephen Boock and Evan Gray who relied on accuracy and a bit of drift for their wickets.

In recent seasons Hart seemed like a bit of a spare part in the Northern Districts team. He had too much talent not to be selected, but Northern also had the luxury of Dan Vettori and Bruce Martin to call upon for left-arm spin bowling. So Hart reinvented himself as an opening batsman. His batting too was old fashioned. He was a limited player who sometimes just managed to hang around through sheer determination. If things had gone a bit differently he could have turned out as another Mark Richardson. Both players were left-arm spinners who ended their careers at the top of the order. One thing that might have held him back was that his bowling was just too good for him to stop focussing on that side of the game.

In the Herald article linked to above Hart remembers his 5-77 against South Africa as the highlight of his career. I also remember his 5-22 in a one-dayer against the West Indies, back when the West Indies still seemed invincible. But I think I will remember Hart best as one of the best servants a domestic side could have had.