The former New Zealand cricketer, Richard Hadlee, is regarded as one of the greatest players to have graced this game. He was not just an extraordinary player but a leader as well. Hadlee had the ability to change the course of the game with both his batting and bowling skills. This made him play a pivotal role for the New Zealand team. Here are the top 3 all-round performances by Sir Richard Hadlee in Test cricket.
9/52 vs Australia, 1985
Career-best bowling performance in Test cricket against a team like Australia in their conditions demonstrates the greatness of Richard Hadlee. In 1985, the New Zealand team toured Australia for a 3-match Test series. The experienced all-rounder set the tone of the series for his team with a bowling masterclass in the first innings. He picked up 9 wickets to destroy the Australian batting unit and restricted the opposition to 179 runs in the first innings. This bowling performance helped New Zealand to dominate the match throughout and eventually win it by an innings and 41 runs.
7/23 vs India, 1976
This bowling spell was delivered by Richard Hadlee in the initial phase of his career when he was trying to make the mark in international cricket. The Test series was on the line as India had an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series. For New Zealand, the third Test had become a must-win situation if they wanted to save the series. Hadlee turned up with a phenomenal spell in the second innings picking up 7 wickets to win the match for New Zealand by an innings and 33 runs.
151* vs Sri Lanka, 1987
Richard Hadlee was not important for New Zealand just for his bowling skills but his batting was equally crucial for his team. He smashed a couple of centuries in the longest format and this one was scored against Sri Lanka in 1987. The home side posted 397 runs in the first innings but that total was dwarfed by Hadlee’s unbeaten knock. The match ended in a draw and the all-rounder’s spectacular batting effort had a huge role to play in it.