Michael Papps has decided to call time on his career after around two decades of first-class cricket, which included eight Test matches and six ODIs for New Zealand.
Papps, 38, started playing first-class cricket for Canterbury in the 1998/99 season and amassed 12,294 runs by the end of it in 188 appearances, having moved to Wellington later in his career. This included 33 centuries and 52 half-centuries, the runs scored at an average of 38.66.
In that game, against Australia in February 2005, Papps was targeted with short balls by Brett Lee, and had to retire hurt after being struck in the helmet grille. When the helmet came off, a large lump was visible, forcing him to walk off. Overall, he scored 207 runs in the six games at an average of 51.75.
His Test numbers were less impressive even though he started out with an innings of 59 against Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini and others in Hamilton and later scored 86 – his best – at Headingley in June 2004. He tallied 246 runs at an average of 16.40 with those two half-centuries.
