10 Facts About Adam Parore

Former New Zealand wicket keeper batsman Adam Parore was born on 23rd January, 1971. He represented the Blackcaps in 78 Tests and 179 ODI matches. He scored 6179 International runs (2865 Test runs and 3314 ODI runs) for his country and affected 337 dismissals behind the wicket.

Here are some of the facts about this Kiwi cricketer:

10. Teenage debutant

Adam Parore’s potential was recognized early on in his career as he made his first class debut for Auckland in 1988 at a tender age of 17. 2 years later he made his Test debut at the age of 19.

9. First Maori To Play for Blackcaps

On July 5, 1990 – Parore became the first cricketer of Māori origin to represent New Zealand when he played his first Test against England at Birmingham. He batted at No.8 & No.9 in the respective innings – scoring 12* and 20 on debut. The Maori’s are considered as perhaps one of the most ferocious and fearsome tribes in New Zealand and usually seen in dominant numbers in the the prestigious ‘All Blacks’ rugby team.

8. A Unique 90

On October 28, 1994 – Adam Parore recorded the highest ever ODI half century with out any boundaries in a Wills World Series match against India at Reliance Stadium, Vadodara. Parore struck 96 runs in 138 balls with zero fours and sixes to his name.

7. A Weird Dismissal

On March 3, 2000 – during the 3rd ODI in the 6 match series against Australia at Dunedin, Parore fell prey to a Brett Lee bouncer that led to implausible consequences. The kiwi wicket keeper batsman tried ducking the vicious bouncer in the last second – which led to the ball tapping the shoulder and went on to unclip his helmet strap resulting in the helmet to fall over the stumps. He was adjudged hit-wicket after due deliberation from the on-field umpires who looked equally in disbelief.

6. The Highest 8th Wicket Partnership In Australia

On December 1, 2001 – Adam Parore (110) along with Nathan Astle (156*) put on a record 8th wicket partnership of 253 runs at Perth. This is still the highest ever 8th wicket partnership on Australian soil.

5. Early Retirement

Parore retired from International cricket at his peak at the age of 31 in the year 2002. He played his last ODI in February 2002 against South Africa at Sydney while his last Test came against England at his home ground Eden Park, Auckland. He opened the innings for New Zealand along with Mark Richardson in his last ever Test innings.

4. The Comeback

After a gap of 6 years – Adam Parore made his cricketing come back in a T20 league called Indian Cricket League (ICL) where he played for the Chennai Superstars team.

3. Scaled The Mount Everest

At the age of 40, Parore became the first ever International cricketer to climb the Mount Everest (the highest mountain in the world) in May 2011. Interestingly a week earlier he had been forced back because of poor weather.

2. The Horse Breeder

Parore has been breeding horses with partner Danielle Francis for the past few years. The pair have about 10 horses on the farm but he swears he is an amateur compared to fellow former Black Cap turned horseman Brendon McCullum.

1. The Autobiography

Parore penned his autobiography titled ‘The Wicked-Keeper’ which show cased the troubled times in New Zealand cricket in the 90s. The book has a decent rating of 3.4/5 on Goodreads.