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Richard Hadlee, one of the most feared cricketers of his time, bid adieu to Test cricket on July 10, 1990. He played his last match in red-ball cricket against England at the iconic Edgbaston in Birmingham. Beyond being the first bowler to breach past the 400-wicket mark in Tests, Hadlee also was a part of the famous quartet of all-rounders that included Sir Ian Botham of England, Kapil Dev of India and Imran Khan of Pakistan.
Hadlee opened the attack for New Zealand in his last match as the English side batted first. However, it was a long wait before he got his first breakthrough. He cleared the last two wickets of the innings to bundle England out for 435. With the bat, he could not contribute much, but in the third innings, Hadlee did not seem like a bowler playing his last Test at the age of 39. He picked up a brilliant five-for, helping the visiting team crush England for just 158 this time.
Speaking of his Test career at large, Hadlee entered the international stage for the first time in February 1973 against Pakistan, getting his cap in Wellington. Day later, he also made his ODI debut against the same opposition, playing at Christchurch. Hadlee took a while to pick up, but once he was in, he made sure that everyone felt his presence on the field.
A tearaway pacer and a more-than-capable batter, Hadlee had mastered the art of picking wickets for fun as well as making handy runs, especially in the lower-middle order. His pace got the better of even the most skilled batters of his time and his runs, although not in truckloads, were always impactful and helped New Zealand bow out of trouble so often.
He played 201 matches for the Kiwis, picking up 431 wickets in 86 Test matches at a serious average of 22.29, while also accounting for 158 scalps in 115 one-days at 21.56. With the bat, the left-hander amassed 3124 runs in Tests and 1759 in One-Day Internationals to make himself among the most feared persons on the field.
Hadlee took only 79 matches in Tests to get past 400 wickets and what is more interesting is that his last wicket in international cricket came on the very last delivery that he bowled. Till date, he stands tall as the highest wicket taker for New Zealand in Test cricket, with Tim Southee retiring after 391 wickets in 2024, taking 107 matches to do so.
His astonishing career figures are a testament to the fact that Hadlee was indeed way ahead of his time. He made the batters dance to their tunes with his pace, bounce and variations, while also making his team breathe sigh when a few runs were needed. Hadlee is truly a remarkable figure and will be remembered as one of the finest to have graced the game. Since Hadlee, New Zealand haven’t found as handy a pace-bowling all-rounder as him and it will be interesting to see whether there will be any in the future as well.
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