Dion Nash
By Alaister Moughan, 2002

On the 2nd of May 2002 we heard the bad news, most of us expecting it but still resenting when it would eventually come. The bad news, of course, was the retirement from all cricket of Dion Nash. In the end, injuries were as persistent and aggressive as Dion’s attitude. Some may say Dion Nash is a “could have been” but in my view he’s a “should have been”. Dion Nash should have been a world class all rounder (at times he was); Dion Nash should have been a New Zealand great. But the one major hurdle that that stopped Nash was injuries. There are so many injuries in his career that I will try and ignore most of them (as hard as it is), though all reflect on Nash’s career.

It was 1992 when Dion Nash first emerged to make his debut for New Zealand. Nash was picked right out of the blue (or in this case the brown of Northern Districts). Nash had made his first class debut and had played only four first class games. The selection was very similar to Ian Butler’s last season. In Nash’s first four tests he took just six wickets; it wasn’t until his fifth test when Dion Nash’s star shone it’s brightest.

“It’s been a great Lord’s test, mainly for the fact that from it has emerged an all rounder, but particularly a top class bowler who will grace test grounds all over the world with superb skill and fierce determination, and crucially he will be wearing a silver fern over his heart, Dion Nash has come of age”.

That was Martin Crowe reflecting on Nash’s performance. Maybe the champagne was getting to him after his century, but he realised the importance of Nash’s performance. Nash took 11 wickets and scored a fifty in the match at the home of cricket, Lord’s, becoming the first man to do so. New Zealand just failed to win the game as it petered out to a draw but it was a highlight of their poor England tour. To make matters greater Nash’s father had flown over to see his son play and wasn’t disappointed. Nash’s name is now on the Lord’s honour board close to that of Martin Crowe’s, who in the same test scored a century. Nash seemed to be the ‘new Hadlee’ but somehow the Dion Nash bubble burst.

It was 1995 and the now infamous tour of South Africa had just started. New Zealand had a great win in the first test over South Africa but that is not remembered from the tour. The main memory of the tour is of Matthew Hart, Stephen Fleming and Dion Nash being disciplined for smoking marijuana at a party during the tour. Nash had gone from being the ‘new Hadlee’ to the whipping boy. But later he went to the 1996 World Cup in Sri Lanka. The first game was a good start for Nash who took 3/27, and with fellow Kiwi hero Nathan Astle (101) led New Zealand to a win over England. Nash played in four games (out of 6) until NZ bowed after dramatically losing to Australia in the quarter finals. Despite only playing in only four games, Nash ended up being the leading wicket-taker for the New Zealand Team, with 6 wickets at 25.5 with a run rate of 4.37, a solid effort.

In 1995 and 1996 Nash helf a county contract to play for Middlesex, not an easy honour given to any cricketer as they have most of the world to choose from. Sadly Nash managed only two games of his second season with the county as he tripped over the injury hurdle. Then Nash succumbed to his worse injury in his career. For 18 months Nash couldn’t bowl because of a prolapsed disc and stress fractures in his lower back. He finally made it back to the top level in 1998 through Pilates which helped him recover. Nash came back to the New Zealand team for the latter stages of the prestigious Carlton and United World Series (now VB series) with average results. Shortly afterwards, a freak fielding accident and then a flare-up of his back injury was followed by more time off and another injury to add to the long list.

The 98/99 season was a good one for Nash. He had a successful series against India even with the bat. He scored 89 (not out), his highest test score, as New Zealand won the test in Wellington. After NZ won the test series and drew the one day series, it was South Africa’s turn to play. Injury had forced out Stephen Fleming for most of the summer and Nash was given the captaincy. He led New Zealand to an initial 2-1 lead in the one-day series against South Africa who then were the arguably the best side in the world, although he lost the test series that came next. One shot from Nash in that series stays in my mind. It came in the first game in Carisbrook when the game was evenly poised, when in came ‘white lightning’ (Allan Donald), the fastest bowler in the world at that time, who had been terrorising the NZ top order all day. Nash stepped forward and hit a straight drive flying through the chilly evening into the Stand. The look on Allan Donald’s face was worth a fair bit of money after that shot! The odds were now in favour of New Zealand who went on to win the thrilling game. It took that touch of supreme skill to swing the match for the Black Caps (as it often does in one day cricket).

It was now time for the Cricket World Cup in England the holy grail of one day cricket. Nash had a good tournament up to the semi final against Pakistan, only taking 6 wickets but proving the most economical bowler left in the super six stage. But it all went wrong for the team in the semi final as their old nemesis Pakistan struck again. Nash bowled five over for 34 runs as the Black Caps were hit around the park and lost the game by 9 wickets. According to Gavin Larsen. “D just sat in his corner distraught and didn’t move for ages”. After that game Nash was still the third most economical bowler for New Zealand behind the brilliant Geoff Allott (who, with Shane Warne, took the equal most wickets for the tournament) and the dependable Gavin Larsen.

Better times were coming to Nash as the tour of England began. After a loss in the first test, Nash made 135 not out and 62 runs as well as taking 7/39 with the ball against Hampshire, to top it off he also captained in the game. A good performance took the Black Caps to a win in the next test to level the series and when the 3rd test was drawn the series was taken to a decider at the Oval. On the last day England needed 246 to win and take the series and were looking comfortable at 123/2. Then came another touch of divine skill from Nash, who took three wickets in twelve balls. England characteristically collapsed, giving New Zealand their first test series win in England since the 1980’s. In the monumental series tour Nash had the best bowling average of 17.47 taking 17 wickets. Later that year Nash and the whole team enjoyed a victorious Test tour ofhad an excellent series against the West Indies clean sweeping the 5-0 in ODI’s and 2-0 in the tests.

Dion played only a handful more games for New Zealand after the great England tour, in Sri Lanka and in the VB series among others. In the VB series he was had solid yet average results, when New Zealand made it into the finals kicking out the hosts Australia but injury still held up. His last test was against Australia where again injury hampered his game as it did in the African tour as well.

There are now a number of players in the Black Caps team who are slowly replacing Nash and his mate Chris Cairns, who was recently injured. Jacob Oram, Andre Adams and Scott Styris are the leading few to be the allrouders for New Zealand in the future and for now. These new brigades of all rounders are the future for the Black Caps as Dion was ten years ago (it’s that long). I dearly hope none of them will be affected by injuries as Nash was, and they can led New Zealand to bigger things.

Hopefully Dion Nash’s career won’t be forgotten like many other former cricketers’ careers have been, whenever you see a bowler walk up to sledge the batsman they may be a glimpse of Dion Nash the fiery, talented and unlucky allrounder.

Dion Nash the player who entertained the crowd with a wicket, a glorious straight drive and a great save in the field; Dion Nash who never took a step backwards when playing for his country, who always gave 100% even if he was 80% fit, that’s how I’ll remember him.

- Alaister Moughan

Dion Nash's Career Statistics:

TESTS

Batting and fielding

Bowling

ONE-DAY INTERNATIONALS

Batting and fielding

Bowling

References:

CricInfo
Steve Waugh’s World Cup Diary (1996)
Wisden Cricket magazine
Gavin Larsen, Grand Larseny
Martin Crowe, Out on a Limb

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