Gavin Rolf Larsen (born 27 September 1962 in Wellington) is a former New Zealand cricketer who specialised in the art of economical bowling. He was known playfully by his teammates as "The Postman". He is currently chief selector for the national side.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Gavin Rolf Larsen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
27 September 1962 (age 55) Wellington, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-hand bat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler, Selector | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 190) | 2 June 1994 v England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 27 April 1996 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 64) | 1 March 1990 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 16 June 1999 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 4 May 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Contents
Domestic career
Unusually for a New Zealand player, he played his entire first-class career with one team, Wellington. He also captained the side in the 1994 Australasian Cup in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, where New Zealand reached the semi-finals of a six-team tournament.
His nickname of "The Postman" came about as a compliment:
"John Graham, New Zealand's team manager during much of his career, explained the nickname in the foreword to Larsen's book Grand Larseny (yes, really): "He is the consummate professional, committed, conscientious, competitive and consistent. His nickname of 'The Postman' sums him up well, he always delivers!""
International career
Larsen finished his career with an exceptional economy rate in ODI cricket of 3.76 – the norm is usually somewhere between 4 and 4.50 – in his 121 ODIs, stretching over a ten-year span.
He also played eight Tests with reasonable success, taking 24 wickets. However, as a useful batsman and handy bowler, he held a place in the one-day side and played a major part in New Zealand reaching the semi-final stage of the 1999 cricket World Cup.
Larsen earned his 100th ODI wicket in his home-town of Wellington, claiming the prize scalp of Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar.
After cricket
Larsen is now the CEO of Cricket Wellington and has been appointed on July 8, 2015 as a selector of the New Zealand cricket team.
International awards
One Day International Cricket
Man of the Match Awards
| S No | Opponent | Venue | Date | Match Performance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | Basin Reserve, Wellington | 24 March 1993 | 4 (9 balls) ; 10-3-17-3 |  New Zealand won by 88 runs. |
| 2 | South Africa | Bellerive Oval, Hobart | 18 December 1993 | 10-5-12-2 ; 4* (4 balls) | New Zealand won by 4 wickets. |
| 3 | England | Eden Park, Auckland | 2 March 1995 | 2 (6 balls) ; 8.3-0-20-3, 1 Ct. | |