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RICHARD

HADLEE

He wasn't cool or dashing, but Richard Hadlee was the man you'd most like to have on your side every time...

Richard Hadlee had an interesting look - he grinned through gritted teeth like a 1920s cad, he had the moustache of a retired RAF serviceman and a hairstyle that could have been seen a home on the head of any late-70s British sitcom extra. Perhaps more importantly, he is the greatest New Zealand cricketer to have walked this earth.

 

His dad, Walter, was the father of New Zealand cricket. His brothers Dayle (26 tests) and Barry (two one day internationals) both represented their country, as did his ex-wife Karen. Richard eclipsed the lot, however. He became the first bowler in international cricket to take more than 400 wickets (he took 431) in 79 matches at an average of just 22.29. He also notched up a couple of test centuries and 15 fifties out of 3124 runs in total.

 

It's by no means a coincidence that Hadlee's emergence as one of the world's best in a golden age of pace bowling lead to New Zealand's rise as a genuine force in test cricket. They didn't lose a home series for 12 years. They recorded their maiden victory against England in 1978, after Hadlee devastated what should have been a routine run chase of 137 in England's second innings, finishing with 6 for 26. Likewise, he guided his team to a series win against the potent West Indies in 180 and topped the lot in New Zealand's series against Australia in 1985, taking a staggering 9 for 52 in the first test at Brisbane.

 

His idol was Dennis Lillee, but beyond the 'tache and the wicket hauls, they played the game very differently. While Lillee was a typically gregarious Aussie, Hadlee was an equally stereotypical brooding Kiwi. He bowled straight and true, keeping so close to the wicket he would occasionally dislodge the bails. The sight of him pulling off his sweater, whether playing for Canterbury, Notts or New Zealand, would almost always provoke turmoil and discomfort in the opposition and their fans. He never let up, which may be one reason why he suffered a breakdown in 1983.

 

That seemed to have little long-standing effect on an astonishing cricketing career. A big-time player who always seemed to rise to the occasion, he was knighted even before he retired. Perhaps the powers-that-be didn't want his dismissal of Devon Malcolm for a duck with the last delivery of his test career to be his defining moment. Who can blame them.

 

MORE ON RICHARD HADLEE

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