Former New Zealand all-rounder Bruce Taylor – who played 30 Tests and 2 ODIs between 1965 and 1973, died aged 77 in Hutt Hospital on Saturday morning (February 6).

He had reportedly “suffered from ill-health” and “a leg amputated in March 2016 to fight gangrene”.  The New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association, which runs the Cricketers’ Trust, had helped out the world-class all-rounder with a mobility scooter and other support for him lately.

Taylor remains the only cricketer to score a century and take a five-wicket haul on debut in a Test match. He achieved the rare feat in the second Test against India at Kolkata in 1965, having been drafted into the New Zealand XI at the last moment to replace ill Barry Sinclair.

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He had scored 105 and stitched a record seventh-wicket stand of 163 in 158 minutes with Bert Sutcliffe before scalping five for 86 to help New Zealand draw the Kolkata Test against India in 1965.

New Zealand Cricket confirmed Bruce’s passing on Twitter on Saturday.

The post reads: “NZC is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of NZ all-rounder, Bruce Taylor, aged 77. In his 30 Tests, Bruce was a force of nature & remains the only player in the world to have scored a century & taken a five-for on Test debut. Our thoughts are with his family & close friends,”

Noteworthy, the all-rounder scored 898 runs at an average of 20.40 and took 111 wickets at an average of 26.60, with a career-best 7 for 74 against the West Indies in 1972 in 30 Tests while scoring just 22 runs in his only ODI outing and scalped 2 wickets in the format for New Zealand.

He also played 141 first-class games and 14 List-A games and scored 4579 runs and 422 wickets as well as 272 runs and 16 wickets respectively between 1964 and 1980.

(With Stuff.co.nz Inputs)