Image Credit- Getty
Next week, Otago opening batsman Hamish Rutherford of
New Zealand will play his final professional game against Northern Districts in
the Super Smash in Dunedin. Rutherford will conclude a career he began in 2008
and has completed with 16,468 points in various formats.
Throughout his 130 first-class games, Rutherford
played 16 Tests. In 2013, he made his debut against England, scoring 171 runs.
He averaged 35.26 while making 7863 Test runs and 17 hundreds. He participated
in 192 T20 matches, including eight T20Is, for 4279 runs with a strike rate of
141.50. He also played 127 List A games, accumulating 4326 runs with 13
hundreds in the format, and just four ODIs.
“It has been a privilege to play for Otago and be
part of this iconic province,” he said in a statement. “While playing
for New Zealand was always the dream, I’m grateful for the opportunities
cricket has given me and my family. I’ve loved every minute of it. I appreciate
all the support I have had from family and friends, fellow players, coaches and
supporters of the province.”
Rutherford, who earlier this month broke Neil Broom’s
record, will retire having played the most Twenty20 matches for Otago. He will
finish his career having participated in the third-most Otago games in all
formats, after only Broom (348) and Derek de Boorder (292).
“Hamish will undoubtedly be considered one of
Otago’s greats,” Otago Cricket chief executive Mike Coggan said. “I
have seen him play innings that very few other cricketers are capable of. He
has been an entertainer at the top of the innings, and he has my utmost respect
as a player and person. His contribution to Otago Cricket has been immense.
“I have not seen another opener who has combined
patience and aggression as Hamish has. His big century on debut at home was
astonishing against a quality England side and the 155 (off 100 balls) he
scored in a Ford Trophy match in Dunedin against CD back in 2020 was something
to behold. Hamish has always been a student of the game and one of domestic
cricket’s finest thinkers. He has been a pleasure to watch and know and I wish
him well in retirement.”