Former New Zealand Test cricket captain Bevan Congdon has died a day before his 80th birthday.
He died in Auckland on Saturday after a long illness, New Zealand Cricket says.
NZC chief executive David White said Congdon had been a shining light in New Zealand's Test renaissance through the 1970s and his death marked a sad day for cricket.
"Bevan was at the centre of the New Zealand team at a time it started gaining attention on the international cricket scene for the all the right reasons - in no small part due to his leadership and ability," said White.
Congdon played 61 Tests, scoring 3448 runs at an average of 32.22 and including seven centuries.
He played 11 ODIs for his country, including captaining New Zealand in its first official limited-overs fixture, against Pakistan in 1973.
He led New Zealand to their first Test win over Australia at Christchurch in 1974.
Condgon contributed to the game well after his retirement, featuring on the New Zealand selection panel in the late 1990s.
Congdon is survived by his wife Shirley; his daughters Ali and Sandy, and grand-children Matthew, Joshua, Lily and Reeves.
