OTD: Sir Richard Hadlee was born in 1951

On July 3, 1951, in the suburb of St Albans, Christchurch, one of cricket’s greatest ever all-rounders, Sir Richard Hadlee, was born,. A solid fast bowler and a powerful lower-order batter, Hadlee took his nation’s name on the world map with his cricketing brilliance.

Born into a cricketing family, his father Walter Hadlee was a former New Zealand captain, and his brothers Barry and Dayle also played for the national side. Inspired by Canterbury pacer Dick Motz, Hadlee debuted for Canterbury in 1971-72 and quickly made his name.

Known affectionately as ‘Paddles’ due to his large feet, Hadlee made history by becoming the first cricketer to take 400 Test wickets, a feat he achieved in just 79 matches. Over 86 Tests, he picked 431 wickets at an average of 22.29, alongside 3124 runs with the bat, including two centuries. In ODIs, he picked up 158 wickets and scored 1751 runs.

One of his most iconic performances came in Brisbane in 1985, where he dismantled Australia with figures of 9 for 52 in the first innings and added six more in the second, handing the Kiwis one of their greatest Test victories. His performance also led to New Zealand’s first Test win over England in 1978. Alongside contemporaries like Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, and Imran Khan, Hadlee formed the elite quartet of 1980s all-rounders who could change a match with both bat and ball.

After retirement, Hadlee also worked as New Zealand’s selector between 2000 and 2008 and served as an ambassador for the Bank of New Zealand for nearly two decades. In 2009, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. Apart from cricket, he has also been a supporter of youth development, health initiatives, and grassroots sports, which led to his recognition as one of the twelve Canterbury Heroes in New Zealand.

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