Mark Greatbatch – The Game Changer
Prior to the 1992 cricket world cup, England visited New Zealand. They whitewashed New Zealand in three matches ODI series. Mark Greatbatch’s performance was under par. He scored 4, 10, 5 and dropped from the first two matches of the World cup. However, Martin Crowe had other plans. He knew Greatbatch from the school days. They both studied in Auckland Grammar and played age-group cricket together. Greatbatch was primarily a middle-order batsman but Martin Crowe decided to promote him as an opener because of his hard-hitting ability. The idea was to take the advantage of the first 15 overs field restrictions. Crowe asked to express himself and gave a license to go after the bowling. Greatbatch played the first match against South Africa in the WC and he was declared MOM for his magnificent knock of 68. He became a regular member of the WC squad since then and finished with an average of 44.71. His strike rate was 87.92. He was the first who showed how to utilize the first 15 overs field restrictions. His batting was the blueprint for the Sri Lankan dynamic duo Jayasuriya, Kaluwitharana, and many more explosive openers. Mark Greatbatch was a true game-changer.