Sir Richard Hadlee is certainly the best ever bowler to play for New Zealand and arguably the best ever bowler in history. Richard was born in 1951 as the son of Walter Hadlee, former New Zealand captain. His brothers, Barry and Dayle played test cricket but never reached Richard's standard.
Born in Christchurch Richard along with his brothers played for Canterbury. His debut came in the season 1971/72 following a vacancy through injury of his brother Dayle. He took a hat-trick in that match and earned a place in the New Zealand B side. In 1972-73 he made his debut against Pakistan. Initially he made no impact taking 3-255 in his first 2 tests. The turning point came in 1975 when sustained a shoulder injury. He also shortened his previously long run-up to make his bowling more effective.
Hadlee was a changed man capturing 11-58 in the third test against India. This included a 7-23 which was the best ever analysis for a New Zealander at test level for that time. When New Zealand toured the subcontinent in 1976-77 he topped the batting averages and remained their most potent bowler. His highest score of 87 coming in the third test against Pakistan almost certainly avoided defeat. By this time Hadlee had made a mark on test cricket. Most noted was the movement and pace he produced from the ball through a relatively short run-up, making him reminiscent of Dennis Lillee. Together with his aggressive successful batting at around the number 7 position , he made a fine cricketer.
Back in New Zealand, Hadlee made his mark on the game with his charisma and outward personality in the series against Australia. Particularly memorable was his 81 out of an innings of 175 where he stood up and slaughtered Dennis Lilee. He made many new fans that series even though his team lost to Australia 1-0. Later that year he went off to England full of confidence. The first test there was to be the Hadlee brother’s last together. There New Zealand’s first victory against England had much to with Hadlee’s performance. The match was fairly even until England’s second innings when Hadlee took 6-26. England capitulating to be all out for 64. At that time it was the lowest score by England against a side other than Australia. New Zealand went on to lose the second test and draw the third to make the series a 1-1 draw. Hadlee impressed so much on that tour that county side Nottinghamshire signed him up. In 1984 he completed ‘the double’ (that is to score 1000 runs and take 100 wickets in a season). This was the first time it had been achieved since the number of games in a season was reduced.
The next season Hadlee joined the then infamous World Series Cricket. He was the only WSC player still eligible to play test cricket. In 1979 against the, in his 27th test he became New Zealand’s highest wicket taker surpassing Collinge’s record of 116 dismissals. In the same remarkable series he scored his first test century. The reason the series was remarkable was that New Zealand actually defeated the West Indies. At that time this was a great feat as the West Indies were at their prime. The three test series was won 1-0 with the sole victory coming in the first test at Dunedin. There Hadlee was instrumental taking 11-102.
In the 1980-81 season in Australia many controversial and appalling incidents took place. Not the least of which was the crowd’s treatment of Richard Hadlee. His great achievements and outward personality made him a target. Particularly bad was the treatment he received from the outer in Melbourne and the hill in Sydney. The one memorable moment with the crowd for Hadlee would be his encounter with a woman dressed in a bikini.
In 1981, Hadlee’s county team Nottinghamshire won the championship for the first time in 52 years. This was indeed a momentous victory with Hadlee taking 105 wickets and scoring 745 runs being imperative to the team. New Zealand by this time had become an extremely competitive unit with players like Hadlee and the newcomer Crowe being the stars. In 1983 England did beat New Zealand but had a shocking tour in the 1983-84 season. New Zealand had a series victory for the first time against England winning 1-0. The second test at Christchurch was New Zealand’s sole victory, the margin an innings and 32 runs. Hadlee again shone smashing 99 of 81 balls and then taking 3-16 and 5-28. At Lancaster Park, Hadlee again had amazing figures taking 8-44. This was probably his favourite ground as at the end of his career he had taken 76 wickets there.
The 1985-86 series against Australia was probably Hadlee’s best ever. The New Zealanders won the first test match at Brisbane by an innings and 41 runs, much of this was to do with Hadlee. In one of the finest performances of fast bowling ever seen, he took 9-52 and 6-71. In the whole match, observers say he bowled one loose ball. New Zealand won the series against a below average Australia 2-1, Hadlee taking 33 wickets at 12.15. New Zealand played Australia again in 1986 but this time in New Zealand. The highlight was at Wellington where Hadlee in dismissing Border took his 300th test wicket in his 61st test. New Zealand won the series 1-0. Overall in his career, Hadlee took an amazing 130 wickets in 16 test against Australia.
That same year New Zealand had its first series victory in England. Hadlee being his destructive self taking 19 wickets in three tests. The importance Hadlee had to the New Zealand team was exemplified the following year in the World Cup where his absence made the team look fairly weak. I must mention Hadlee was a great one-day player taking over 150 wickets in his career. His hard hitting batting was also extremely useful.
In February 1990, Hadlee went into the Lancaster Park test against India with 399 wickets in his bag. The whole country watched as he produced a brilliant off-cutter to dismiss Manjrekar, his 400th wicket. Twenty six years ago on that very same day, Fred Trueman took his 300th wicket. A record at that time that was thought to be never broken. During the next few weeks Hadlee broke some more records before retiring at the grand old age of 39. He became the highest New Zealand wicket taker in first-class cricket, eclipsing the so called New Zealander Clarrie Grimmett. At the end of his career he had taken 431 wickets in 86 tests. A record which stood for a few years until broken by Kapil Dev, who’s 434 wickets came in 131 matches. A person together with Imran Khan and Ian Botham that Hadlee will be compared to. They being the great all-rounders of the 80’s and arguably ever. Another great statistic about Hadlee is that his rate of taking 5 wickets per match is legendary in these modern times. Also no one has ever come close to his record of taking 5 wickets in an innings 36 times and 10 wickets in a match 9 times. Later that year Richard Hadlee was knighted for his services to cricket and remains the only New Zealand cricketer to do so.
FIRST CLASS:
BATTING
M I NO RUNS HS AVE 100 50
BOWLING
RUNS WKT AVE BEST CT/ST
TEST: 1972-1990
BATTING
M I NO RUNS HS AVE 100 50 CT/ST
86 134 19 3124 151* 27.16 2 15 39/0
BOWLING
RUNS WKT AVE BEST 5WI 10WM
9611 431 22.29 9/52 36 9
ODI
BATTING
M I NO RUNS HS AVE 100 50 CT/ST
115 98 17 1751 79 21.61 - 4 27/0
BOWLING
RUNS WKT AVE BEST 4WI 5WI
3407 158 21.56 5-25 1 5
IMRAN KHAN NIAZI
COUNTRY-PAKISTAN
BORN-NOVEMBER 25 1952
Arguably the finest ever Pakistani player, Imran Khan is as well known off the field as he is for his cricketing feats. He is cricket’s greatest playboy who among achieving many cricket feats was involved in many scandals and later attributed his life to an extremely worthy cause.
Imran was born into a proud family of Pathans, a high society of Pakistan. Cricket was a great part of his family, his cousins, Javed Burki and Majid Khan would later captain Pakistan. His parents believed in a good education so naturally Imran went to the most prestigious public school in Lahore; Aitchison College. There he was by far the best player in team being a very fine batsman. However he was a long way off being the best in the land. As he grew older he even changed to being a fast bowler. He was seen to bowl at an exceptional speed but was too wayward.
Imran made his debut for Lahore at the age of sixteen. In the subcontinent this is not that unusual. His selection for Lahore and later Pakistan was shrouded with nepotism as Imran’s extended family seemed to rule Pakistani cricket. Imran temporarily had to put cricket aside for his studies but was back again by the age of eighteen. His life took a dramatic change after playing against an international XI. He performed admirably resulting in him moving to England as he was chosen to play for a private school there.
In 1971 he made his test match debut, visiting against England. On that tour he was fined by team management a number of times, seen as very wild, snobbish and arrogant by his peers. His playing also wasn’t that great, his wayward bowling in the first test costing Pakistan to settle for a draw. That was the only test he played on that tour. England won the series 1-0. It was about this time Imran started playing county cricket for Worcestershire. In 1973 he entered Oxford University where he studied politics and economics till 1976.
In 1974 Pakistan toured England with Imran being selected for his form for Oxford and his experience of English conditions. He failed to make a huge mark with all three tests being drawn. Again in England Imran played in first ever World Cup but Pakistan wasn’t that successful. In 1976 Imran returned to Pakistan after an absence of four years. The 1976-77 season was the time Imran got a permanent place in the test team. He impressed with his hostile bowling which he got back from the Australians in the same season. More conflict was to come in the series against the West Indies. The West Indian pace battery was forced to quieten down as Imran could cope with their bounces whereas they themselves couldn’t handle Imran’s. This would be largely apparent in later series as Imran became more adept with the bat. Pakistan lost the 5 match series 2-1 with Imran snaring 25 wickets. It was clear the first great fast bowler from the subcontinent had emerged.
In 1977 Imran moved counties to Sussex. The major reason for this was Imran love affair with London night life. He was fairly disgruntled at Worcester. This was partly to do with the racism he encountered there. Back in Pakistan the players including Imran were angry over payments. The rates were increased but this coincided with advent of World Series Cricket. Imran had made quite a name for himself resulting in Packer eagerly snapping him up. His part in the series was a success. Not only did he play well, he was turned into a superstar. His eastern mysticism worked wonders with Australian women turning Imran into a sex symbol. Imran himself liked Australia as he felt it was a cricket heaven.
Imran still continued to play for Sussex. At this stage in his career he became one of the founding fathers of reverse swing. With Sarfraz Nawaz, the Pakistani quickie who also played county cricket, Imran made things like shining only one side of the ball common place. Later on, allegations of ball tampering were thrown at them. This developed into a court case which was triggered by Allan Lamb.
Under orders from the top of officialdom, Imran came back into test cricket for the series in Pakistan against their old enemies India. The series was a tremendous success as Pakistan won the series 2-0. The highlight for Imran being the third test where he hit two sixes and a four of one over to win the match with only seven balls remaining. The two following series resulted in a victory over New Zealand and a draw in Australia. Imran’s tremendous success and appeal resulted in him being a huge celebrity in both the east and west. One could safely say he was the most adored cricketer and maybe sportsman in the world.
In 1979 Imran played in his second World Cup with Pakistan going down to a strong West Indian side in the semi final. More disappointment was to follow with the five match test series against India being lost 2-0. This was no fault of Imran’s however as he finished with a bowling average of 19.21. The same season Australia made a trip to Pakistan losing 1-0. The Australian fast bowlers particularly Lillee were infuriated at the lifeless pitches. The same type of pitches were used to combat the West Indian pace battery the next season. Nevertheless the West Indians, now undoubtedly the best cricketing side won 1-0 in the four match series. Imran first test century allowing Pakistan to draw the first test. It came in his 11th series after nine years at the top. The next year the test series in Australia which was overshadowed by the Lillee-Miandad incident was marked by Imran becoming Pakistan’s highest wicket taker. His brilliance again came to show in the one-off test against an inexperienced Sri Lanka taking 8-58 and 6-58.
In the early 80’s Imran was not only at his cricketing peak but also had formed numerous publicised relationships with women. The most notable being Susannah Constantine, ex-model Marie Helvin and artist Emma Seargent. Some of these relationships ended quite abruptly due to cultural differences and the touring life of a cricketer. Some Imran also brought to Pakistan. There his playboy image was frowned upon and was thought to be wrong for a man of Muslim faith. Imran was also a popular socialite on the English scene and forged friendships with many celebrities and people with power. They ranged from Mick Jagger, Paul Getty and Jeffrey Archer to the Marquis and Marchioness of Worcester.
In 1982 for the test series against England, Imran gained the captaincy. Serving him were three former test captains. Imran performed brilliantly taking 21 wickets at 18.57 and score 212 runs at 53. Pakistan lost the three match series 2-1 though Imran won two man of the match awards. His performances included a 7-52 in the first test and innings’ of 67* and 46 in a low scoring third test. Imran was an extremely aggressive captain and led Pakistan to only their second test victory over England.
In the 1982-83 season Imran temporarily lost the captaincy though still continued to bowl and bat well. Australia got slaughtered 3-0 in three matches and India got similar treatment when they toured Pakistan. Imran was back as captain leading his side to a 3-0 victory including two victories by an innings. Imran had his most prolific series taking 40 wickets at 13.95 and scoring 247 runs at 61.75. In the series he equaled Botham’s record of scoring a century and snaring 10 wickets in a match. He often received dead pitches which had destroyed other great fast bowlers but was still able to bowl with fire. In the first test he had an innings haul of 8-60 and in the fourth he had a spell in which he took 5-3 which Imran claims was his fastest spell ever.
The tremendous workload which Imran put on himself began to have his consequences as he was no longer able to bowl. In his tremendous series against India the year before, Imran had broken his shin but continued to bowl with the pain. Imran temporarily put bowling aside and was able to concentrate on his batting. He batted with success at no 5 for the World Cup though this didn’t result in Pakistan being victors. He scored his first one-day century and the following year played only as a batsman in the series against Australia. At this point he was told his cricketing career was over as Imran waited in the cricketing wilderness for almost two years.
In the 1985-86 season Imran came back into the side and was still their best bowler. Pakistan easily won the test series against Sri Lanka at home 2-0 but controversy was to surround the return matches. Imran regained the captaincy but could only draw the series. Pakistan bitterly lost the one-day international competition called the Asia Cup. The Pakistani players, particularly Imran were enraged at Arjuna Ranatunga who they saw as a cheat.
Above all Imran’s greatest goal was to beat the West Indies and become the best test nation. His dream would never be fulfilled as the 1986-87, 1987-88 and 1990-91 series against West Indies were all respectably drawn under his captaincy. With the West Indies having ruthless fast bowlers and aggressive batsman Imran was able to fight fire with fire. In those series he took 18, 23 and 4 wickets at 11.06, 18.09 and 13.50 respectively. While batting he scored 115, 90 and 151 runs at 28.75, 22.50 and 50.33 respectively. The competitive genius he was, Imran was able to save his efforts for the hardest matches. He was also a very tough and determined man. In the first test in 1986-87, Imran managed to make 61* of 159 despite being hit by a Marshall bouncer. The highlight of his tour being his amazing 6-46 at Karachi.
In 1987 Pakistan won its first ever test series over England and soon after a test series victory over India. Imran planned to end his glorious career by winning the 1987 World Cup. His dreams were shattered when Pakistan lost to Australia in the semi-final. Soon afterwards Imran retired from cricket. Pakistani cricket was now in somewhat of a crisis as Javed had stepped down as captain. After having great pressure being put on him from the public and President Zia, Imran returned in 1988. For the rest of his career Imran would captain the side but his bowling would never quite regain its previous magic mainly to do with injury. Despite this his batting averages increased with his age and Imran continued to play six further test series. In the 1989-90 season in Australia Imran showed he still was up there winning the International Cricketer of the Year.
The 1992 World Cup Final would be Imran’s exit from cricket. All throughout the championship, Imran played greatly. In the final it was Imran’s 72 that was the decisive innings in Pakistan’s victory. Not only was it a great cricketing moment, the victory would be a great way to promote Imran’s cancer hospital. This was set up in honour of Imran’s mother who died of cancer. In all he gathered $25 million for it which opened a few years later.
Many of the other Pakistani players didn’t like Imran promoting the hospital in front of them. This internal bickering wasn’t unusual for Imran. Particularly famous is his relationship with Javed Miandad who comes from the opposite side of the tracks to Imran.
In 1995 Imran decided to settle down and marry. His wife wouldn’t be arranged as he married Jemima Goldsmith who was the daughter of a British squillionare. Imran also entered politics, an arena he said he wouldn’t enter for many years. He started up his own party which didn’t do that well in the most recent elections. In 1997 Imran was found by a court to have an illegitimate daughter, a part of his history that he would like to put behind. Apart from all his off field flair and greatness, I think Imran should primarily be remembered as one of the greatest all-rounders the world has ever seen.
FIRST CLASS:1969-1992
BATTING
M RUNS AVE 100 50 CT/ST
382 17 771 36.79 30 92 117/0
BOWLING
RUNS WKT AVE BEST 5WI 10WM
28 726 1287 22.32 8/34 70 13
TEST:1971-1991/92
BATTING
M I NO RUNS HS AVE 100 50 CT/ST
88 126 25 3807 136 37.69 6 18 28/0
BOWLING
RUNS WKT AVE BEST 5WI 10WM
8258 362 22.81 8/58 23 6
AS CAPTAIN
P W L D
48 14 8 26
ODI:1974-192
BATTING
M I NO RUNS HS AVE 100 50 CT/ST
175 151 40 3709 102* 33.41 1 19 37/0
BOWLING
RUNS WKT AVE BEST 4WI 5WI SR ECON
4845 182 26.62 6/14 3 1 40.9 3.89
AS CAPTAIN
P W L T
139 75 59 1
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