Club: Wellington Collegians
Wellington Firebirds debut: N/A
Best batting: N/A
Michael Papps is joining the Wellington Firebirds in 2011-12 from the Canterbury Wizards for whom he has played all his New Zealand domestic representative cricket for so far in an impressive first-class career that has seen him play 119 matches and score almost 7,500 runs since making his Plunket Shield debut in 1998-99.
Papps joins Wellington after 95 First-Class games for Canterbury. In 2006-07 he became one of ten individual players to score over 1,000 runs in a first-class season in New Zealand and has twice hit four centuries in a single domestic first-class season, in 2006-07 and 2009-10.
His career total of 6,663 runs for Canterbury is the second most by an individual player for one province, behind Central Districts’ Matthew Sinclair who has scored 7,693 for the Stags. His 19 first-class centuries for Canterbury are the fourth most for a single province behind Sinclair (22) and recently retired Firebirds player Matthew Bell for Wellington and Craig Cumming for Otago (both 20).
As well as shaping an outstanding record in the longer format of the game, Papps is also practiced in the shorter versions having playing 116 combined domestic and international One-Day matches and scoring over 4,000 runs. In domestic Twenty20 cricket he has scored 621 runs at a strike rate of well over 100.
He has played eight Tests and six One-Day Internationals for the BLACKCAPS, making both his Test and ODI debuts against South Africa in the 2004-05 home series.
MICHAEL PAPPS
Playing style: Top order bat
Nickname: Pappsy
Secondary school attended: Shirley Boys’ High School
Club: Wellington Collegians
Earliest cricket memory: Playing my first ever game, aged seven.
Favourite ground to play cricket on: Burwood Park in Christchurch and the Hawkins Basin Reserve
Most memorable cricket moment: Scoring 86 at Headingly against England
If I could bat/bowl in partnership with any cricketer from any era I would chose:
Steve Waugh – a skilful player and tough competitor who scored runs all over the world in tough conditions and under pressure
Favourite player growing up: Steve Waugh
The non-cricketing sports person or team I most admire: Tom Brady and the New England Patriots
If I wasn’t a Firebirds cricketer I’d be: Trying to find a job using the Business degree that I’ve just completed
Favourite superhero: Team America: World Police
Favourite book/magazine: The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo
Favourite holiday destination:
Majorca, Spain
If I was in a band I would play the: Drums
In my spare time I like to: Watch baseball, NFL and football and go fishing
Most people don’t know that I: Had a small role in a TV mini-series when I was at school
My signature dish is: Risotto