Barry Sinclair died on July 10, 2022, aged 85. He played 21 Test matches, and was remembered in the 2023 Wisden Almanack.
Barry Whitley of the MNZM, who died on 10 July aged 85, Mr Sinclair had not yet led Wellington, so it was a surprise that he was chosen to captain New Zealand in 1965/66. Sinclair played in the second Test against Mike Smith’s visiting England team when Murray Chapple, who had originally been chosen to replace the long-serving John Reid, was injured. “He had a cricket wildebeest,” Reid said with satisfaction. He wanted to take Sinclair with the team to South Africa for the 1961/62 season, “but he didn’t score any runs that season. We ended up choosing a not-so-good batsman. However, it must be fair.”
Sinclair was a short, stocky right-hander who made his Test debut against England in 1962/63 and scored 138 runs against South Africa at Auckland the following season. “His marking game would have thrilled both Euclid and Pythagoras; his bat strokes traced almost straight lines across the green grass,” wrote R.S. Whitington. He added: “The link-up with Peter Pollock was bold and brilliantly executed. He achieved his Test century in four hours with great precision, determination and a high level of defiance. ”
Sinclair was part of Reid’s fearless team that played 13 Test matches between January and July 1965, adding two centuries in the draw between New Zealand and Pakistan at Lahore . He particularly enjoyed playing in England. I’ve always followed English cricket since I was a kid and had about 40 Wisden books. ‘He exceeded the overall average, scoring his first century at the Fenners against Cambridge University, and in the road test he scored 72. Wisden appreciated his dedication, saying, “Sinclair, small and fair-haired, was not great for grace or grace, but he was also good at covering.”
Although the captaincy seemed to confirm the purple prose, Sinclair played only two more times for New Zealand. He lost the first Test against India in 1967/68 with scores of 0 and 8 and retired in the next match. He was succeeded by Graham Dowling, who scored 239 points. Sinclair said before the season: I feel like maybe I tried to do too much and I need a break.” He won another cap against the West Indies in 1968-69, and the following season he played against the Australians. He played in his first international match against the B team. He said, “During the match, I thought, “I don’t want to play anymore” and announced his retirement.”
He played one more season in the domestic league, but narrowly missed out on another Plunkett Shield title as Central Districts defeated Wellington by three points. When Sinclair returned to business, he worked for a company that exported materials primarily to developing countries in the Pacific. His two sons played club cricket. Mark Sinclair recalled, “I threw it hundreds of times to keep his head above the ball and keep his front shoulder in line with the flight.” In 2015, Sinclair became Wellington’s sixth cricketer to be named a sporting legend.
Barry Sinclair led New Zealand in three Test matches.
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