Top 10 New Zealand middle order batsmen of all time

The middle-order of any batting line-up forms the backbone with the help of which teams often post big totals or save the team from an early collapse.

Needless to say, the top order is, of course, responsible for providing adequate protection to the middle-order by batting as long as possible.

However, once that is done, the middle-order needs to cash in and post a score. Grafters, stroke-makers, excellent technicians and players at ease against spin or pace usually make for good middle-order batsmen.

New Zealand have had their fair share of excellent middle-order batsmen throughout their Test history and here is a look at 10 of the best.

#10 Mark Burgess

The former New Zealand captain, who played for the country from 1968 to 1980 was one of the mainstays of the batting line-up when the team were starting to assert themselves in the game and he remains one of the most prolific middle-order batsmen to have played for the Kiwis.

Burgess was an amateur cricketer and was particularly known for being a carefree stroke-maker, who was partial towards the drive. He batted at all middle-order positions for New Zealand and over the course of 50 Test matches, he scored 2684 runs at an average of 31.20. Burgess scored 5 centuries and 14 half-centuries in his career.

#9 John Reid

The right-hander played 58 Test matches for New Zealand between 1949 and 1965 and in 56 of those Tests, he batted in the middle-order.

John Reid batted at number 4 or 5 for the majority of his career and was known as an attacking batsman, who had the penchant of going for his strokes at most times. It is often said that had Reid played when one-day internationals became more popular, then he would have gone on to become one of its most well-known players.

Anyway, he did not do too badly as a Test batsman either. He made 3300 runs for New Zealand while batting in the middle-order and recorded an average of 34.37. Reid made 6 centuries and 21 half-centuries.

#8 Stephen Fleming

The former New Zealand batsman was one of the most successful captains that the country ever had and in addition to that, he was also one of the team's most reliable middle-order batsmen for many years.

He batted at number 3 for a long time but later on, he moved to number 4 and became a middle-order batsman. His graceful stroke-play, coupled with excellent technique made Fleming one of the stalwarts of the New Zealand teams for around 14 years from 1994 to 2008.

He batted in the middle-order in 72 out of the 111 Tests in his career and made a total of 3862 runs at an average of 36.43. He scored only 2 centuries, which is perhaps a disappointing tally for a batsman of his calibre. Fleming made 33 half-centuries though.

#7 Nathan Astle

The dashing right-hander played 81 Tests for New Zealand from 1996 to 2006 and in 80 of those, he batted in the middle-order, number 5 being his preferred position. Astle was a stroke-maker par excellence and remained one of the most important batsmen in the Kiwi line up for a decade.

Perhaps, his most famous innings is the incredible 222 he scored against England off just 168 balls, which included 28 fours and 11 sixes. He brought up his double hundred in only 153 deliveries and it remains the fastest double hundred in Test cricket.

He scored 4480 runs as a middle-order batsman and averaged 36.72. Astle scored 11 centuries and 22 half-centuries during the course of his career.

#6 Chris Cairns

One of New Zealand's greatest ever all-rounders provided the team with great balance during the course of his 12-year career spanning 62 Test matches. Chris Cairns batted at plenty of positions but the majority of his career was spent at numbers 6 and 7 and in 49 of his career Test matches, he batted in those positions.

Cairns was primarily an attacking batsman and helped New Zealand stage recoveries with his exploits with the lower middle-order.

Cairns is the 10th highest run scorer among middle-order batsmen but his average of 36.89 is better than many and he also scored 5 centuries in addition to 15 half-centuries during his stint as New Zealand's lower middle-order anchor.

#5 Jeremy Coney

Former New Zealand oversaw the country's emergence as a genuine cricketing power back in the 1980s and during his Test career (from 1974 to 1987), he was one of the team's middle-order mainstays. For the majority of his career, Jeremy Coney batted at either number 4 or 5 and he batted in the middle-order in 51 out of his 52 career Test matches.

Coney was a technically excellent batsman and one of his great qualities was that he often rose to the occasion when New Zealand were in some trouble. Coney scored 2622 runs at an average of 38.55 and went on to score 3 hundreds and 16 half-centuries.

#4 Craig McMillan

Craig McMillan could probably have played more Test matches for New Zealand but sudden slumps in form did not help his cause. Even then, he did play 55 Tests for the country between 1997 and 2005 and became a fixture in the middle-order.

He was an attacking batsman by nature and played in the middle-order positions throughout the course of his career. McMillan was excellent against the short stuff and was equally adept at playing spin.

In 55 Tests matches, he scored 3085 runs and averaged 38.56, which is the 4th highest among all middle-order batsmen from New Zealand. He made 6 hundreds and 19 half-centuries.

#3 Brendon McCullum

The former New Zealand captain is probably one of the finest leaders in modern cricket and in his 101 games long Test career, he batted at all positions from 1 to 9. However, the bulk of his career was spent batting in the middle-order and his preferred positions were 5,6 and 7.

McCullum was a batsman who could take apart any attack on his day but at the same time, if he needed to dog deep then he could. However, attacking instincts often took over after a while and that is perhaps what made him one of the game's most entertaining batsmen.

He batted in the middle-order in 71 Tests and made 4174 runs at an average of 39 and McCullum also slammed 10 centuries as well as 16 half-centuries. Perhaps his most memorable innings was the 302 he scored against India February 2014 to not only save the Test match but also record the first ever triple century from a New Zealander.

#2 Ross Taylor

Before the emergence of Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor was, without a doubt, the best batsman in the New Zealand batting line up. He has played in 83 Tests for New Zealand since 2007 and the bulk of is batting has so far been done at number 4.

Taylor's technique isn't orthodox by any stretch of the imagination but he has made the most of it and over the years, he has tightened his technique to emerge as one of New Zealand's best ever middle-order batsmen.

He has an average of 48.50 in 83 Tests and scored 6210 runs. In addition to that, he has notched up 17 centuries, that includes the stupendous 290 against Australia and 28 half-centuries.

#1 Martin Crowe

He is still the greatest batsman that New Zealand has ever produced and in his 77 Test career, Martin Crowe batted in the middle-order in 75 of them.

Crowe's brilliant technique, the ability to play his strokes against both pace and spin and finally, the gift of batting on seemingly difficult wickets made him one of the best batsmen in the world between 1982 and 1995.

Along with Richard Hadlee, Martin Crowe was also responsible for the rise of New Zealand cricket in the 1980s. He made 5209 runs at an excellent average of 46..50 in 75 Test matches and also scored 17 hundreds.

He also scored 17 half-centuries and as such, will forever be remembered as one of cricket's most famous batsmen.