John Cushen

John Arthur James Cushen (born 12 February 1950) is a former New Zealand cricketer who played twenty years of first-class cricket for Auckland and Otago from 1967 to 1987. A right-arm fast-medium bowler, Cushen took 194 wickets at 28.77 during his career, while his right-handed batting late in the batting order earned him a high score of 44 however an average of 9.91.

Career

Cushen was born in February 1950 at Dunedin in Otago. He was educated at King's High School in the city.

Debut

Cushen played his first match for Otago on 9 January 1968 as in the Plunket Shield against Canterbury. He took one wicket in the first innings for 62 runs, scored nine and a duck as Otago was forced to follow on, and saw his team slip to an innings and 44 run defeat. In his first full season across the summer of 1968–69, Cushen played five first-class matches in which he scored 74 runs at 12.33 with a best of 27, however he struggled with the ball, taking six wickets at 71.50. Cushen played no matches across the 1969–70 or 1970–71 seasons, and only one in the 1971–72 where he took three wickets at 33.33 each, He nevertheless enjoyed success with the ball, taking five wickets at 22.80.

Success with the ball

Cushen did not play another cricket match until 1976 when he began playing at Auckland, and from then on his bowling improved dramatically.

Off the field Cushen has long enjoyed building and sailing yachts.