Richard Hadlee

Lore & Background

Hadlee was born into a cricket family; his father Walter and brothers Dayle and Barry played for New Zealand. He made his first-class debut for Canterbury in 1971/72 and his Test debut in 1973. After an inconsistent start, a breakthrough performance against India in 1976 cemented his place. He helped New Zealand to historic wins, including their first Test victory over England in 1978 and their first series win in Australia in 1985/86. Hadlee was appointed MBE in 1980 and knighted in 1990 for services to cricket. He discovered he had Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome after retiring and underwent heart surgery in 1991. In June 2018, he was diagnosed with bowel cancer and had tumour removal surgery.

Reader's Guide

Richard Hadlee's significance lies in his transformation of New Zealand cricket from an underdog to a competitive force. As a fast bowler, he mastered conventional swing and was rated by many experts as the greatest exponent of bowling with the new ball. In an 86-Test career, he took 431 wickets at an average of 22.29 and scored 3124 runs at 27.16, including two centuries. He was one of the four premier all-rounders of his time, alongside Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, and Ian Botham, and had the best bowling average among them. His 1985/86 tour of Australia, where he took 33 wickets in three Tests, is considered a peak. Hadlee was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009 and commemorated as one of the Twelve Local Heroes in Christchurch. His legacy endures as a benchmark for fast bowling and all-round excellence.

Did You Know?

• Hadlee was the first bowler to pass 400 Test wickets.
• He took 33 wickets in a three-Test series against Australia in 1985/86.
• Hadlee was knighted in the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours List.
• He was diagnosed with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome after retiring and had heart surgery in 1991.