Blair Tickner: The Café Owner Who Stunned India with Four Sixes in ODI Clash

Blair Tickner walked out with New Zealand nine wickets down and proceeded to hit as many sixes as all his teammates combined.

His four sixes against India helped turn 146/9 into 185 all out in the opening One-Day International in Auckland. The man batting last had supplied the innings’ second-highest score.

Tickner is a 33-year-old New Zealand fast bowler and café owner. His route to this moment includes a Test debut overshadowed by flooding, an interrupted county season and a return to international cricket that had already gathered momentum before his latest innings.

Why is New Zealand’s No.11 getting so much attention?

Because he contributed runs normally expected from batters much higher up the order.

Tickner scored 34 from 23 deliveries, including one four and four sixes. Only opener Tim Seifert, who made 38, scored more for New Zealand. His last-wicket partnership with Jacob Duffy added 39 before Gurnoor Brar had him caught by KL Rahul.

No.11 means the final position in the batting order, usually occupied by a player selected primarily for bowling. Teams generally put their stronger specialist batters earlier.

Tickner’s four sixes alone brought 24 runs. Cricbuzz’s updated career figures list 34 as his highest ODI score and four as his total number of ODI sixes: all four came in this innings.

Who is Tickner, and where did he come from?

Born in Napier on October 13, 1993, Tickner bowls right-arm pace and represents Central Districts in New Zealand’s domestic competitions.

He has played international cricket since 2019, across the T20, one-day and Test formats. These differ principally in length: T20 internationals allow 20 overs per side, ODIs allow 50, and Tests can run for five days.

His domestic record also predates the Auckland cameo. Central Districts lists him as Central Stags Player of the Year for both 2023–24 and 2024–25.

Does he actually run a café?

Yes. Tickner and his wife Sarah opened 13th Stag in Hastings in July 2019.

Its own website says he had worked as a barista during cricket’s off-seasons. The café sits at a sports park and serves athletes, supporters and other customers. The couple built its offering around their interest in coffee and food suited to active lifestyles.

It is a business he has maintained alongside professional cricket. The café also became a gathering place when the family later marked an important milestone in Sarah’s treatment.

Why was his Test debut so emotional?

Cyclone Gabrielle struck Hawke’s Bay shortly before his first Test against England at Bay Oval in February 2023. His father John’s house was devastated by flooding.

“My father’s house has been fully destroyed by the flooding,” Tickner said in an account published by Central Districts.

His father still managed a brief stop at the ground while transporting generators for the relief effort. During that visit, he saw his son take his first Test wicket before continuing a seven-hour journey home.

After the match, New Zealand Cricket released Tickner and teammate Will Young to return to Hawke’s Bay. They joined other Central Stags players helping neighbours with the clean-up.

What happened during his wife’s illness?

Sarah was diagnosed with leukaemia, a cancer affecting blood-forming tissues, during the family’s stay in England in 2024.

Tickner was playing for Derbyshire, an English county team. The club confirms he cut short that stint and returned to New Zealand after the diagnosis.

In a public update dated June 14, 2024, Sarah said they were back in New Zealand and she was beginning another treatment block in Palmerston North. She described receiving encouraging biopsy results while continuing intensive chemotherapy to reduce the risk of relapse.

A report by Hawke’s Bay Today journalist Doug Laing, published through Newstalk ZB on August 29, 2026, said she had completed treatment and continued having checks. The couple thanked supporters by giving away tiramisu at their café.

How did Tickner rebuild his cricket career?

He returned to Derbyshire for the 2025 season. When announcing the signing, the club acknowledged how much had happened away from cricket during his first spell.

“I think everyone would agree that I have unfinished business with Derbyshire,” Tickner said.

His international return followed. New Zealand Cricket records that he was called back in 2025 after last appearing for the national side in 2023.

Against England, he took 4/34 and 4/64 in successive ODIs and was Player of the Match in both. Those figures mean four wickets taken for 34 and 64 runs conceded respectively.

In June 2026, he regained a place on New Zealand’s central contract list, its group of nationally contracted players. NZ Cricket highlighted four or more wickets in five of his previous eight international innings, including his first Test five-wicket haul against Ireland.

Coach Rob Walter said Tickner had “worked extremely hard over the past few years and added new levels to his game”.

How far back does his India connection go?

India were his opponents on his international debut, a T20 match at Hamilton on February 10, 2019. His ODI debut followed against the Netherlands in March 2022, and his Test debut against England came in February 2023.

Indian viewers encountering him through the Auckland hitting are therefore watching a player more than seven years into his international career.

The latest attention comes from batting at No.11. His recent return to New Zealand’s contracted squad was earned through performances with the ball.