Former New Zealand fast bowler Bob Blair, who played one of the most heroic knocks ​in Test cricket, has died in England on his 94th ‌birthday, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Wednesday.

Blair ​played 19 tests between 1953 and 1964, ⁠often opening the attack, and took 43 wickets at an average of 35.23. He is best remembered, however, for his ‌remarkable knock in a 1953 Test against South Africa in Johannesburg.

Playing in the second Test ‌at Ellis Park, the 21-year-old Blair learnt in ‌the ⁠early hours of the second morning that ⁠his fiancee, Nerissa Love, was one of the 151 killed in the Tangiwai rail disaster on Christmas Eve.

Blair initially stayed back at ​the team hotel to ‌grieve but strode out at the fall of New Zealand’s ninth wicket to join a bloodied Bert Sutcliffe, who had earlier gone to hospital after ‌taking numerous blows from the cricket ball while ​batting. The pair added 33 runs for the 10th wicket before Blair was dismissed for ⁠six.

Since 2024, Test series between New Zealand and South Africa have been played for the Tangiwai Shield, which ‌commemorates the 1953 tragedy.

“The story of Bob Blair and the Tangiwai rail disaster has left an indelible mark on cricket in both New Zealand and South Africa,” NZC’s interim chief executive, Graham Parks, said in a statement.

“The courage and camaraderie shown during the ‌second Test in South Africa in 1953 and in the years ​that followed epitomise everything that is great about sport.

“To have been able to honour that ⁠inspirational story with the introduction of the Tangiwai Shield ⁠in 2024 was both poignant and will ensure the legacy of Bob Blair lives on.”

New Zealand ‌players will wear black arm bands for the first day of the third Test against England ​in Nottingham on Thursday. 

Published on Jun 24, 2026