Cricinfo - Players and Officials

Full name Richard John Hadlee
Born July 3, 1951, St Albans, Christchurch, Canterbury
Current age 57 years 64 days
Major teams New Zealand, Canterbury, Nottinghamshire, Tasmania
Nickname Paddles
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast
Other Commentator
Height 6 ft 1 in
Education Christchurch Boys' High School
Relations Father - WA Hadlee, Ex-wife - K Hadlee, Brother - BG Hadlee, Brother - DR Hadlee

Batting and fielding averages

Mat

Inns

Runs

Ave

100

Tests

134

3124

151*

27.16

ODIs

115

1751

21.61

2319

75.50

First-class

342

473

12052

210*

31.71

198

List A

318

271

5241

100*

24.37

100

Bowling averages

Mat

Inns

Balls

Runs

Wkts

BBI

BBM

Ave

Econ

Tests

150

21918

9611

431

9/52

15/123

22.29

2.63

50.8

ODIs

115

112

6182

3407

158

5/25

21.56

3.30

39.1

First-class

342

67518

26998

1490

9/52

18.11

2.39

45.3

102

List A

318

16188

8553

454

6/12

18.83

3.17

35.6

Career statistics

Test debut

New Zealand v Pakistan at Wellington, Feb 2-5, 1973 scorecard

Last Test

England v New Zealand at Birmingham, Jul 5-10, 1990 scorecard

Test statistics

ODI debut

New Zealand v Pakistan at Christchurch, Feb 11, 1973 scorecard

Last ODI

England v New Zealand at The Oval, May 25, 1990 scorecard

ODI statistics

First-class span

1971/72 - 1990

List A span

1971/72 - 1990

Few players in the history of cricket have carried the fortunes of their team to quite the same extent as Richard Hadlee. By the time he retired from international cricket in 1990, at the age of 39 and with a knighthood newly conferred upon him for his services to the game, Hadlee had cemented his place as one of the great fast bowlers of all time, and lifted New Zealand to unprecedented feats in the Test arena. As the first player to reach 400 Test wickets, Hadlee was always assured of immortality, but in addition to his matchless skills with the ball, he was also a hard-hitting batsman of unquestioned skill, and he is acknowledged as one of the four great allrounders of the 1980s, along with Ian Botham, Imran Khan and Kapil Dev. As one of five sons of Walter Hadlee, the former New Zealand captain, his cricket education began at an early age, and in 1971-72 he debuted for Canterbury, forming a penetrative new-ball partnership with his elder brother, Dayle. In those days, however, Hadlee was a tearaway, placing speed far ahead of guile, an attitude that was matched by his unkempt, long-haired appearance. As his knowhow grew, however, so his run-up (and locks) shortened and all the attributes of the model fast bowler fell into place. His lithe, whippy, side-on action made life uncomfortable for all the great batsmen of his era, as he extracted pace, bounce and movement from even the least responsive of surfaces. His first great demolition job came at Wellington in February 1978 - five years on from his debut - when his ten wickets, including 6 for 26 in the second innings, condemned England to a first defeat against the Kiwis. However, it was for the Australians that he preserved his finest efforts, and his 15-wicket haul at Brisbane in 1985-86 remains one of the most talked-of moments in Trans-Tasman rivalry. He needed just 79 matches to reach 400 wickets - a phenomenal strike-rate - and he was still very much at the top of his game when, in 1990, he bowed out against England at his adopted home of Trent Bridge - his second-innings haul of 5 for 53 included a wicket with his very last delivery. After retirement, he went onto to become an outspoken media pundit, and later the chairman of New Zealand's selectors. Andrew Miller

Dec 14, 2007

The Chappells, Greg and Ian, and Richard Hadlee with the trophy © Getty Images

Aug 23, 2005

John Wright and Richard Hadlee at the announcing of the World XI teams © Getty Images

Jan 1, 2003

Members of the New Zealand selection panel enjoy watching the match. 3rd ODI: New Zealand v India at Christchurch, 1 Jan 2003 © Photosport

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