The Sean
Cricketer Of The Year
Well here we are, right at the business end of our countdown - CW's top 10 cricketers of all time. Many great names have already been and gone in our list and now only the tiny elite remain. From now on, I will be counting down the final ten one at a time.
So let's get started...
10.
Sir Richard Hadlee | Cricket Players and Officials | Cricinfo.com
Nominated by 86% of voters - highest ranking no.4
It is a rare thing that a famous father has a son that eclipses him so completely, but such is the case with Sir Richard Hadlee. Father Walter Hadlee was a outstanding player, captain and administrative figure in New Zealand cricket but the achievements of his son put Walter's own - as well as everyone else in the history of New Zealand cricket - into the shade. The greatest cricketer ever produced by his country - perhaps on Australia and Sri Lanka can claim to have a player so undisputed as their all time number 1 - Hadlee ranks both as one of the finest bowlers and one of best all rounders in all of cricket history. Beginning as a raw and genuinely fast 21-year-old tearaway in 1973 it wasn't until later in the decade, having added control and maturity to his game, that he became a world-class performer, a true master craftsman, and from the beginning of the 1980s through to the end of his career Hadlee was fit to rank comfortably alongside - even above - the very greatest bowlers from his or any other generation. He was considered a genuine all rounder and was a glorious striker of the ball, even if he didn't always do himself full justice with the bat - a final Test batting average of 27 is perhaps less than a player of his talent should have achieved.
With ball in hand, though, it was triumph after triumph. The man they call Paddles was the driving force behind historic wins over England and West Indies - his 11 wickets against the Windies in Dunedin in 1980 subjected the Caribbean Kings to their last series defeat for 15 years - while in the three full seasons Hadlee was able to play for Nottinghamshire he took 319 wickets at a remarkable average of just under 14. It was against Australia however that he produced his greatest performances, the peak of which being his 33 wickets in just three Tests in 1985/86 as led the Kiwis to their first ever series win on Australian soil. The first bowler in Test history to take 400 wickets, he was still at the height of his powers in 1990 when he took five wickets in his last innings, including a wicket with his final delivery in Test cricket. Knighted - deservedly - while still an active player Hadlee went on to become, like so many great cricketers, an outspoken commentator. A truly worthy man to open our all time top 10.
So there it is, Paddles at number 10. I am out of London tomorrow and may not be online all day, so it may be that you will have to wait more than 24 hours to see who came in at number 9...
So let's get started...
10.
Sir Richard Hadlee | Cricket Players and Officials | Cricinfo.com
Nominated by 86% of voters - highest ranking no.4
It is a rare thing that a famous father has a son that eclipses him so completely, but such is the case with Sir Richard Hadlee. Father Walter Hadlee was a outstanding player, captain and administrative figure in New Zealand cricket but the achievements of his son put Walter's own - as well as everyone else in the history of New Zealand cricket - into the shade. The greatest cricketer ever produced by his country - perhaps on Australia and Sri Lanka can claim to have a player so undisputed as their all time number 1 - Hadlee ranks both as one of the finest bowlers and one of best all rounders in all of cricket history. Beginning as a raw and genuinely fast 21-year-old tearaway in 1973 it wasn't until later in the decade, having added control and maturity to his game, that he became a world-class performer, a true master craftsman, and from the beginning of the 1980s through to the end of his career Hadlee was fit to rank comfortably alongside - even above - the very greatest bowlers from his or any other generation. He was considered a genuine all rounder and was a glorious striker of the ball, even if he didn't always do himself full justice with the bat - a final Test batting average of 27 is perhaps less than a player of his talent should have achieved.
With ball in hand, though, it was triumph after triumph. The man they call Paddles was the driving force behind historic wins over England and West Indies - his 11 wickets against the Windies in Dunedin in 1980 subjected the Caribbean Kings to their last series defeat for 15 years - while in the three full seasons Hadlee was able to play for Nottinghamshire he took 319 wickets at a remarkable average of just under 14. It was against Australia however that he produced his greatest performances, the peak of which being his 33 wickets in just three Tests in 1985/86 as led the Kiwis to their first ever series win on Australian soil. The first bowler in Test history to take 400 wickets, he was still at the height of his powers in 1990 when he took five wickets in his last innings, including a wicket with his final delivery in Test cricket. Knighted - deservedly - while still an active player Hadlee went on to become, like so many great cricketers, an outspoken commentator. A truly worthy man to open our all time top 10.
So there it is, Paddles at number 10. I am out of London tomorrow and may not be online all day, so it may be that you will have to wait more than 24 hours to see who came in at number 9...