OTD | Former New Zealand all-rounder Sir Richard Hadlee was born in 1951

The ’70s were a time when almost every team had a great all-rounder who turned out to be one of the most legendary players in the game. Though we have enjoyed the performances of Kapil Dev and Ian Botham, there was another all-rounder who came into the reckoning as one of the best in the business. The man we will be talking about is none other than Richard Hadlee.

The Kiwi legend was not only one of the best pacers in the side but was capable of playing some great knocks as well. With 589 wickets and 4875 runs in just 201 games, he was a vital asset for the Kiwi side with both bat and ball. Hadlee in his prime was always a dangerous player to go up against, and it is time to talk about his heroics on his 73rd birthday on 3rd July.

A nightmare for the big teams

Richard Hadlee was a complete nightmare for the opponents when he got going and that makes him one of the players that the teams feared with his incredible ability with the ball and his ability to get some runs down the order. One of his most iconic feats was his performance in 1985 when he created havoc on a strong Aussie batting lineup in Brisbane taking 9 wickets in the first innings. That was not enough as he also went on to score a crucial 50 and take 6 wickets in the second innings in what was one of the biggest defeats for Australia.

That was not all but he was also responsible for England losing their first-ever Test match against New Zealand. These performances show us why he was one of the best all-rounders to grace the game and why it was important to have a pace-bowling all-rounder. He was one of the players who could cover all the bases of the game and make sure his team was still in the game. There is no doubt he is one of the biggest Kiwi heroes to ever grace the field.

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