About Jack Alabaster
John Chaloner Alabaster (11 July 1930 – 9 April 2024) was a New Zealand cricketer who played 21 Test matches for the country's national team between 1955 and 1972. A leg-spin bowler, he was the only New Zealander to play in each of the country's first four Test victories. In domestic cricket, he was often partnered at the crease for his provincial side Otago by his younger brother Gren, who bowled off-spin. A schoolteacher, he later served as Rector of Southland Boys' High School in Invercargill. == Cricket career == === 1950s === Alabaster was born in Invercargill, one of three sons and a daughter of Harold and Mary Alabaster. He and his brothers attended Southland Boys' High School, a block away from their home. He represented New Zealand in basketball in the early 1950s. He was successful for the Southland cricket team but received no encouragement from Otago and was unable to break into the Otago team. Walter Hadlee noticed his potential, however, and it was while Hadlee was on the national selection panel that, aged 25, Alabaster was selected to play for New Zealand, despite having played no first-class cricket. Alabaster was selected for the New Zealand side to tour Pakistan and India in 1955–56.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.