Famous Cricketers No 79 - Richard Hadlee

the West Indies’ second innings he became New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker in Test cricket, a record previously held by Richard Collinge with 116 wickets. Even so, New Zealand would not have won without his contribution with the bat. In their first innings New Zealand were struggling at 168 for 7, but a stand of 54 for the eighth wicket between Hadlee, 51 with nine fours, and Lance Cairns (30) in just 36 minutes kept the home side on top. They also scored priceless runs in the second innings – Cairns 19, Hadlee 17 – when New Zealand scrambled a victory when all seemed lost at 54 for 7. In the Second Test at Christchurch Hadlee (103) recorded his maiden Test century and in so doing completed 1,000 runs and thus the double in Test cricket in his 28th Test – the first New Zealand player to do so. For the record Hadlee stayed for 114 minutes, hit two sixes and eleven fours, and with Coney (80) put on 99 for the seventh wicket in 80 minutes. Hadlee took three wickets in this game at Christchurch and five at Auckland, giving him 19 for the series. Thus he equalled the record of wickets taken in a 3-match series for New Zealand by John Cowie in 1937. As a batsman he had a successful series but dame fortune was kind to him. At Dunedin he survived an appeal during his innings of 51 when he “nicked the ball” ( Hadlee ), and at Christchurch he enjoyed similar good fortune when, having made only six, he gloved a ball to wicket-keeper Murray as he tried to hook a short ball from Colin Croft (as revealed in Hadlee ). Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 113. NEW ZEALAND v WEST INDIES, Dunedin, February 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 (New Zealand won by one wicket) c C.H.Lloyd b J.Garner 51 249 20 9 34 5 C.G.Greenidge c B.L.Cairns 140 L.G.Rowe lbw A.I.Kallicharran lbw C.H.Lloyd lbw M.A.Holding lbw b J.Garner 17 104-9 36 13 68 6 C.G.Greenidge lbw 212 1 L.G.Rowe lbw C.H.Lloyd c W.K.Lees D.L.Murray lbw D.R.Parry c and b J.Garner b 114. NEW ZEALAND v WEST INDIES, Christchurch, February 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 (Match drawn) b A.I.Kallicharran 103 460 23.3 5 58 3 D.L.Haynes c J.M.Parker 228 M.A.Holding lbw C.E.H.Croft b 22 7 64 0 447-5d 115. NEW ZEALAND v WEST INDIES, Auckland, February 29, March 1, (2), 3, 4, 5 (Match drawn) c D.L.Murray b J.Garner 7 305 31 8 75 4 C.G.Greenidge c P.E.McEwan 220 C.L.King c G.B.Troup D.L.Murray c W.K.Lees M.A.Holding lbw did not bat - 73-4 29 8 62 1 J.Garner b 264-9d SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Test matches 3 4 0 178 103 44.50 1 1 1 Career 115 161 31 2900 103 22.30 2 11 49 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Test matches (6b) 161.3 50 361 19 6-68 19.00 2 1 Career (6b) 1631.1 399 } 10180 452 7-23 22.52 23 5 (8b) 1586.6 231 1980 - in England Still beset by injury problems, Hadlee seldom appeared for the Trent Bridge side and admitted that the physical demands of playing cricket throughout the year were having their effect. In late August Nottinghamshire thrashed the Australians by an innings and 76 runs and as might be expected Hadlee 31