Sir Richard Hadlee broke several records and helped New Zealand win in several nations as he set the original benchmark for dominance in the 80s.
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New Zealand cricket is on the ultimate high after winning the ICC World Test Championship. It is only their second major tournament win in 91 years of their history. The ICC World Test Championship win was a culmination of decades of heartbreak and hard work. The fight for respect took ages. However, the ICC World Test Championship win had its roots when a certain individual arrived on their cricketing shores towards the late 80s.
When New Zealand made their international debut in 1930, it took them 26 years and 45 Tests to win their first Test. After playing for 50 years, New Zealand had won only 10 Tests. However, all that changed with the arrival of Sir Richard Hadlee.
Hadlee’s arrival on the world stage came at a time when West Indies, Pakistan, India, and Australia were competing for the top spot. It was the West Indies that set the world on fire with their pace battery and brilliant batting. Pakistan was the one side that used to counter the Windies on a regular basis. India and Australia were inconsistent. But, New Zealand was constantly upsetting opponents and it was thanks to the exploits of Hadlee.
Hadlee’s first major achievement was during the 1980 tour by the West Indies to New Zealand. In the first Test in Dunedin, Hadlee picked 11 wickets and hit a total of 68 runs in a low-scoring thriller. Hadlee won the Man of the Match as New Zealand won by one wicket. That was the only win in that series and it was the only time West Indies lost a series in that 15-year period.
Whenever New Zealand have achieved success, Hadlee has been key. The 80s saw the emergence of an all-rounding quartet. Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Ian Botham and Hadlee were the players who redefined the quality of cricket.
The year 1985 was the annus mirabilis for Hadlee and New Zealand cricket. In the 1985 series against Australia, Hadlee was at the forefront of some remarkable bowling. In the Test against Australia in Brisbane, Hadlee took 9/52 and ended with 14 in the match as New Zealand breached the Gabba. Hadlee took seven wickets in the second Test but Australia bounced back to win the match.
In the final match at Perth, Hadlee took 11 wickets as he ended the series with 32 wickets. New Zealand won their first-ever series in Australia.
The series win in Australia made New Zealand worthy contenders. In the return leg, New Zealand showed that their win in Australia was not a fluke. They won 1-0 in New Zealand. But, in 1986, they gained glory even in England. In the second match at Trent Bridge, Hadlee took 10 wickets and smashed a fifty as New Zealand won only for the second time in England. The remaining two Tests were drawn and New Zealand, after having played for 56 years in England, finally managed to win a series.
Towards the fag end of his career, Hadlee continued to dominate world cricket. His wicket-taking consistency was unmatched. From 1984 to 1990, he took 231 wickets, with his average not even going over 25 in that period.
Hadlee’s record stands the test of time. In 86 Tests, he took 431 wickets at an average of 22.29. His 36 five-wicket hauls and nine 10-wicket hauls makes him the best bowler in the open era. The haul of 10 wicket hauls and five wicket hauls have been overhauled only by spinners, not so much by pacers.
With the bat, Hadlee was no mug with the bat. He averaged 27 with two centuries. His 130 wickets against Australia make him the ultimate player from New Zealand to have inflicted pain on their Trans-Tasman rivals.
Sir Richard turns 70 on July 3, 2021. The contributions of the New Zealand great cannot be measured. The current New Zealand team that won the World Test Championship all owe their success to the base laid by Hadlee in that tough era of the 80s.
Imagine the 80s when West Indies and Pakistan were terrorizing players with bat and ball. New Zealand never lost at home to the West Indies. They had a better record than Pakistan. New Zealand blew away Australia consistently and also got the better of England. The 80s saw the emergence of so many great all-rounders, yet Hadlee stands on his own.
It took Kapil Dev all his last ounces of energy to overhaul Hadlee in 1994. For your information, when Hadlee played his last match, he ended up with a five-wicket haul and that included a wicket with his last ball. In every single way one looks at it, Hadlee’s career was a fairytale. It was a story that propelled New Zealand to great heights.
