Geoff Allott

Who is Geoff Allott?

Geoffrey Ian Allott is a former New Zealand cricketer who played in 10 Tests and 31 ODIs from 1996 to 2000. He retired from all cricket in 2001, following series of injuries.

Allott was a revelation at the 1999 Cricket World Cup in England May/June 1999. With 20 wickets in nine matches he topped the wicket taking ranks for the tournament. Gaining prodigious movement in the air and off the pitch, the left-armer deceived some of the world's best batsmen, and made a huge contribution towards New Zealand's semi-final finish.

He was first selected by Glenn Turner for the Test series against Zimbabwe in 1995/6, when New Zealand had an injury crisis and were looking to give Test experience to new players of quality. Although he was moderately successful he was not selected for the subsequent ODI series or for the 1996 Cricket World Cup. A quick left armer in the Richard Collinge "dig it in" mould he was considered too inaccurate for limited overs. Over the winter he built up his strength and bowled well for his province at the start of 1996/7. A great game for New Zealand A versus England in 1997 earned him a recall to the Test team, and he bowled far better in two Tests than his figures might indicate.