Bruce Pairaudeau, the former West Indies and Northern Districts cricketer, has died at the age of 91. Pairaudeau was an exceptional and versatile batsman who played 13 international Test matches for West Indies between 1953 and 1957 alongside Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes and Alf Valentine.
He made his debut against India at the Port of Spain in 1953. Though the match resulted in a Draw, Pairaudeau scored his maiden Test century in the first innings of the game. At the age of 26, he made his final appearance for West Indies during the tour of England in 1957. Pairaudeau finished his international career with an overall 454 runs in 13 Test matches at an average of 21.61.
He fell in love with New Zealand during the Windies tour of 1956 and soon emigrated there. In 1963, Bruce led Northern Districts to their first Plunket Shield title – the domestic trophy – in New Zealand and played at that level until the summer of 1966-67 when he hanged his boots.
More recently in 2015, Pairaudeau and his friend drove from Hamilton to Napier to watch the visiting West Indies team train.
“We heard a West Indian voice and when I looked at who it was, I thought it might be Bruce Pairaudeau. We knew he lived in New Zealand but we didn’t know he was coming over,” Philip Spooner, West Indies’ media manager, told ESPNcricinfo at the time. “All the guys just loved meeting him.”
Pairaudeau is survived by a son named Jeffrey and three grandchildren.
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