Famous Cricketers No 79 - Richard Hadlee

Introduction When Richard Hadlee made his Test debut at the Basin Reserve, Wellington, against Pakistan in 1972/73, not even the most ardent New Zealand supporter could possibly have imagined the great triumphs that lay ahead for this raw, fiery twenty-one-year-old fast bowler from Canterbury. However, success did not come overnight and for the next five or six years there were some hard lessons to be learnt in the tough and uncompromising world of Test cricket. During those trying and often frustrating years, Hadlee could be, and often was, expensive but there were unmistakable signs that New Zealand had discovered a most exciting prospect and a bowler of genuine pace and hostility. Even in those early years there were a couple of occasions when Hadlee produced a devastating and match-winning performance which saw first India in 1975/76 and then England two years later, swept aside at the Basin Reserve. Furthermore, he played a leading role in New Zealand’s historic victory over Australia at Lancaster Park, Christchurch in 1973/74, having earlier in the season given the Kiwis a wonderful chance of victory at Sydney before rain cruelly denied them on the last day. Nevertheless, it was not until he joined Nottinghamshire in 1978 that Hadlee consistently became a menacing proposition for practically any batsman and then, when he reached the height of his powers a few years later, he was, with his formidable armoury of lethal deliveries, a bowler to be feared or at the very least respected regardless of the conditions. He also managed to improve his batting to such an extent that he became one of the leading all-rounders in world cricket in the 1980s and his deeds, along with the exploits of those three other great all-rounders, Ian Botham, Imran Khan and Kapil Dev were one of the exciting features of that decade. Not surprisingly, the Hadlee years were the greatest in the history of New Zealand cricket as the Kiwis achieved a measure of success that would have been unimaginable in the dark days of earlier times. To many Hadlee was the New Zealand attack but that would be grossly unfair and unjust to the efforts of others, notably John Bracewell, the combative off-spinner, who played such an important part in several of New Zealand’s triumphs. There were also praiseworthy performances from Ewen Chatfield and Lance Cairns who had their days of success but were unable to provide the penetration, hostility and pace which was so badly needed to give Hadlee the support of a strike bowler from the other end. However, even Hadlee’s magnificent deeds would have been in vain had it not been for the efforts of others in the side. With John Wright often giving New Zealand a sound start and runs flowing from the bat of Martin Crowe, the Kiwis were able to make some decent totals which made Hadlee’s task that much easier. In adversity there was Jeremy Coney, a great fighter, who frequently extricated New Zealand from a difficult position with both bat and ball, not to mention his excellent catching in the slips, many taken off Hadlee’s bowling. And, of course, there was Ian Smith, who gave Hadlee wonderful support behind the stumps and on many occasions scored vital runs at crucial times. Hadlee’s place in the history of New Zealand cricket is, of course, assured. However, since his country’s first tentative steps into the world of international cricket, New Zealand has produced some other great players: Stewie Dempster, a splendid opening batsman who did so much for his country on their introduction to Test cricket; Martin Donnelly, a wonderfully gifted cricketer who sadly played only a few matches in New Zealand; Bert Sutcliffe, a dashing and debonair opening batsman; John Reid, a magnificently talented and aggressive all-round cricketer; Glenn Turner, a superb accumulator of runs who transformed himself from an ultra defensive player to one with a wide variety of shots; and Martin Crowe, considered by many as New Zealand’s greatest batsman. However, pride of place in this roll of honour surely belongs to Sir Richard Hadlee, one of the great bowlers in the history of the game – by whatever yardstick one cares to use! 4