But then, he approached cricket with a wonderfully carefree spirit. He played the game the way he liked and probably did not give a hoot about his average.
Not everyone can play with such freedom. Some players become crippled with doubt. They lose faith in their ability. They lose form. They get dropped. The match fees stop.
Modern sport can quickly be a very serious business. Even when things are going well, there is pressure to keep performing.
Otago had a tremendous season last summer, but staying the same can often mean going backwards.
With that in mind, the players pushed for a mental skills coach during the season review and Natalie van Leeuwen has come on board this summer.
The 31-year-old has a bachelor of science in psychology and is not far away from completing a master's on the link between business and sport.
She works for High Performance Sport New Zealand and is contracted to the Highlanders as well as the Volts.
It is her role to help the players join the dots between a good performance and their mental state.
Not everyone in the Otago team uses her service. One or two use other mental skills coaches and some do not believe it is an area they need to work on. But the majority have embraced what she has to offer.
''A lot of it is around managing their performance and having processes in place,'' van Leeuwen said.
''It is process-focused rather than the outcome. Obviously, we want to achieve a winning outcome but focusing on how to do that and what they have to do to do that.''
Van Leeuwen said it was about more than just thinking positively and blocking out any negative thoughts. She actually gives the players homework. They have to practise getting into the right frame of mind and it is harder than you might think.
Exercises include reflecting on when they have performed well or poorly and focusing on what was going on in their minds at the time.
AwarenessIt is meant to create some awareness. If a player has got into a bad habit by chipping away at himself in his mind - we all do it - hopefully, he will recognise it and take steps to reverse its impact.
''Our thoughts guide our behaviour. It is about being aware of that thinking and choosing whether it is helpful or not helpful. It is not just a case of blocking it, because we can't block thoughts.''
A technique called mindfulness can help, van Leeuwen said. You use a phrase or an action that will distract the mind and bring you back to the present.
For some players, it might be along the lines of telling themselves to ''see the ball, hit the ball''. Others might set off to do some gardening in the middle of the pitch. Whatever works for the individual to help them refocus.
''You need to have your processes in place and you need to do them consistently.
''I like routine, I don't like superstition. Whatever your routine or process is, it is for a reason. It is not just because if I don't do this, something bad will happen. That is not actually helpful.''
In cricket, there can be a lot of spare time to chew over a failure or any perceived shortcomings. Anything that can help a player throw the switch and turn off a destructive narrative cannot be bad, she said.
