by Tamaal Ghosh

Created on: March 27, 2009

The immortal doyen of cricket enthusiasts and players, the late Sir Donald Bradman named him "the master of rhythm and swing". Of the Eighties Famous Five of game-breaking all-rounders, his was the sole official Antipodean presence - with Notts. team-mate, South Africa's Clive Rice, still in international wilderness. He led the the record books, capturing 400 international wickets.

Richard Hadlee of New Zealand was, unsurpisingly, knighted for his devoted services to his sport - which continues to this day as chairman of selectors

A World Series Cricket tournament in Australia in the Eighties. New Zealand going through one its recurring periods of having its strike bowler absent through injury. Some members in the studiously-objective and always-neutral Aussie crowd clearly recognised the weakness A part of the stands was draped with a banner which had the words "NZ Are Up The Creek Without Paddles.

The "Paddles" in question was the nickname of one R.J. Hadlee, given to him, according to teammate and batting icon Glenn Turner, because of his shoe size.

There was undoubtedly some solid reasoning behind the crowd's facetiousness. Very few have carried the sporting fortunes of an entire nation on their shoulders as successfully (or as often) as Hadlee. Not five years after his introduction to the unforgiving arena of Test cricket, for example, he had dismantled the touring English team at the nation's capital, taking 10 wickets in the match - giving away a paltry 26 runs for six of the wickets in the second innings.

The Mother Country got their first sight of victorious Kiwis in flight.

One of five sons of Walter Hadlee, a former New Zealand captain and a chairman of selectors, Richard obviously had cricket in the blood, if not on the brain. Debuting during New Zealand's summer of 1971-1972 for Canterbury (to this day, a side to be reckoned with in almost any sport), he formed a successful opening double act with his elder sibling Dayle.

Young and inexperienced as he was, aggression and blistering pace was all he about at that time. With time and age came guile; the run-up shortened (as did the length of his hair!) and he developed a whiplash side action, getting the gas and venom out of the deadest, flattest fields.

As mentioned, England was the first international side to feel the lash. But, as with so very many Kiwi sportspeople, he hoarded his wrathful, sparkling best for Australia.

New Zealand toured the Great Southern Land in 1985-1986. Accompanying Hadlee were no

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