Wisden overview
Blessed with the comradeship and encouragement of brother Phil, who also played Test cricket, Matt Horne started with Auckland as a 22-year-old middle-order batsman, but then languished as he tussled with some personal demons. He answered an SOS for Auckland in 1996, scored two blazing centuries as they won the Shell trophy, hit three more the next season, and made it into the New Zealand team in Australia - where he struck the team's only Test century. Horne may not appear a stylish or attractive batsman, but his runs come steadily and with deceptive speed. He is one of the few New Zealand batsmen comfortable playing off both back and front foot. A series of minor injuries halted Horne's steady progress, and he must now must fight his way past Matthew Bell, Mark Richardson and now Lou Vincent for an opening spot in the Test team. Don Cameron

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