[Cricket] Sir Richard Hadlee.

[Eeyore]

Fabulous bowlers - and all-rounders. Probably Hadlee would have the edge - for his consistency?

Slight bias towards Imran for his Sussex connection. Such an elegant action, when he was in the mood. Almost feline grace. Loved watching his action at close quarters, even when he was only warming up in front of the pavilion at Hove, wondering what it would be like to face a few of his deliveries. But maybe not the devastating toe-crushing & in swinging yorker that he developed later in his career...

Hadlee and Kapil Dev had more economical actions, Efficient and effective.

My three favourite fast bowling actions: Imran Khan, Michael Holding and Jeff Thomson. Was lucky to see all of them play.

Joel Garner was my favorite growing up. Must have had an incredibly stifling economy rate in the one day game. It was a question of seeing him off intact rather than making runs.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Joel Garner was my favorite growing up. Must have had an incredibly stifling economy rate in the one day game. It was a question of seeing him off intact rather than making runs.

Joel Garner: simply terrifying!

Was it him that blew the Sussex top order away before lunch, in a one-day game at Hove? I think Botham and Richards played but barely needed to get out of first gear. I recall it was a blisteringly hot day and we'd settled in with the beers for a long session only for it to be all over by 3pm.

 

[Gwylan]

I do hope that when starting random threads about 70+ cricketers folk would put something in the title to indicate it isn't an RIP. Hadlee is a, thankfully, living legend.

Yeah, I opened the thread with some trepidation as I remember reading that he wasn't in the best of health. Some warning would have been useful

 

[Eeyore]

Joel Garner: simply terrifying!

Was it him that blew the Sussex top order away before lunch, in a one-day game at Hove? I think Botham and Richards played but barely needed to get out of first gear. I recall it was a blisteringly hot day and we'd settled in with the beers for a long session only for it to be all over by 3pm.

Yes, I was at that game. A very hot day in early August 1983. I'd actually been treated to a ticket by a friend of Ian Botham's. Botham and Garner took four each that day, Garner conceding less than ten runs. Sussex out for 65.

My main memory was a confrontation between Viv Richards and a Sussex member who would have been in court these days for what he said. I was in earshot. It was a racist reference followed by a question asking where Botham was after he failed to come out to bat. Botham had not long received some bad family news that reached the scummy papers next morning after doubtless someone leaked it.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I've never bowled a wide in international cricket either

Same here, and I’ve scored more runs than Hadlee in the Benidorm area of Spain too.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

It is absurd nowadays though. Players making hundreds of thousands for playing a few weeks in a mickey mouse 20 over bash. But if it's what the market dictates. The main point there is that it's still only a small percentage who actually achieve that. The average county cricketer I suspect still wonders what happens when they hang their boots.

I do wonder how sustainable most of these leagues are.

But I guess when you have a target audience in India numbering over a billion you can afford to splash out on apparently pointless leagues all over the year.

It's a shame that players of the past didn't get to see any of that. Even now, players from New Zealand (or West Indies or the other smaller countries) are at a disadvantage when it comes to this sort of thing. I can kind of get the BCCI acting in their own self interest even if it seems self defeating, but the ECB and CA really need to grow a backbone and stand up for the game as a whole.

 

[Eeyore]

Same here, and I’ve scored more runs than Hadlee in the Benidorm area of Spain too.

I've taken more wickets than Hadlee on the same ground to which thou refers.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Same here, and I’ve scored more runs than Hadlee in the Benidorm area of Spain too.

I'm supposed to be going up to Inverness for work at some point relatively soon.

If I manage to get some cricket in, with just a few edged fours I might manage to score more runs than Bradman on a ground he actually played on.

Which, as anybody who's seen me bat will confirm, would be one of the great sporting injustices, even if Bradman were a total drongo.

 

[DJ NOBO]

Fabulous bowlers - and all-rounders. Probably Hadlee would have the edge - for his consistency?

Slight bias towards Imran for his Sussex connection. Such an elegant action, when he was in the mood. Almost feline grace. Loved watching his action at close quarters, even when he was only warming up in front of the pavilion at Hove, wondering what it would be like to face a few of his deliveries. But maybe not the devastating toe-crushing & in swinging yorker that he developed later in his career...

Hadlee and Kapil Dev had more economical actions, Efficient and effective.

My three favourite fast bowling actions: Imran Khan, Michael Holding and Jeff Thomson. Was lucky to see all of them play.

As a boy, I loved watching Imran play for Sussex. His commitment, skill and determination. And his willingness to take on responsibility.
Waqar Younis is my favourite bowler of that 80s/90s era. There was a brief period when his every ball was a grenade. World class Batsmen had no answer, let alone county players.

 

[dazzer6666]

Joel Garner was my favorite growing up. Must have had an incredibly stifling economy rate in the one day game. It was a question of seeing him off intact rather than making runs.

I lived not far from Taunton growing up and used to watch Somerset a lot with my schoolmates - absolute golden era with Viv, Ian and Joel in the team. Garner was a freak………..height, action and pace made him almost unplayable at times, particularly if he found his yorker length.

 

[dazzer6666]

As a boy, I loved watching Imran play for Sussex. His commitment, skill and determination. And his willingness to take on responsibility.
Waqar Younis is my favourite bowler of that 80s/90s era. There was a brief period when his every ball was a grenade. World class Batsmen had no answer, let alone county players.

Recall him bowling to Vic Marks in a ODI with the commentators barely stifling their laughter as Vic failed to get a bat anywhere near a succession of hooping, rapid deliveries

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Came across this film of the fastest bowler competition from the late 70s the other day.



Not sure how many, if any, of the bowlers involved were at their fastest (Hadlee had definitely cut down a touch by then), but it's fun if only for the comments on Youtube going on about how the speed was measured at the batter's end back then despite it being clearly shown that the speed's being measured out of the hand.

 

[ManOfSussex]

I remember going in The Larwood and Voce pub at Trent Bridge years back and it was full of cricketing memorabilia including a display of a pair of Sir Richard Hadlee's old cricket boots. I realised why he was nicknamed 'Paddles' - he must have been size 20.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

Fabulous bowlers - and all-rounders. Probably Hadlee would have the edge - for his consistency?

Slight bias towards Imran for his Sussex connection. Such an elegant action, when he was in the mood. Almost feline grace. Loved watching his action at close quarters, even when he was only warming up in front of the pavilion at Hove, wondering what it would be like to face a few of his deliveries. But maybe not the devastating toe-crushing & in swinging yorker that he developed later in his career...

Hadlee and Kapil Dev had more economical actions, Efficient and effective.

My three favourite fast bowling actions: Imran Khan, Michael Holding and Jeff Thomson. Was lucky to see all of them play.

Did you ever see Michael Holding off his long run? I remember that in 1984, when the West Indies hammered England 5-0, he was using a shorter run, and was probably the least threatening of the four quick bowlers they used in that series. In the last game, at the Oval, he briefly went back to his old, long run, and possibly took a couple of wickets. I thought then that I would certainly not have wished to face him.

 

[Beach Hut]

Never saw him play live, however, a true gentleman.

We had our wedding reception at the Dudley Hotel and next morning went to breakfast. NZ team were playing Sussex, the great man introduced himself and subsequently invited us newlyweds to have breakfast with the touring team.

A true gentleman to say the least

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

Speaking of Hadlee, he is one of my all time favourite cricketers. Such a gentleman too. He also clearly loved Nottinghamshire, and the fans him. You certainly couldn't have accused him of just coming over for some easy games against inferior opposition. My father bought me his autobiography, and I've still got it somewhere at home. One day, I will get round to reading it.

 

[POSKETT AT THE VALLEY]

Yes, I was at that game. A very hot day in early August 1983. I'd actually been treated to a ticket by a friend of Ian Botham's. Botham and Garner took four each that day, Garner conceding less than ten runs. Sussex out for 65.

My main memory was a confrontation between Viv Richards and a Sussex member who would have been in court these days for what he said. I was in earshot. It was a racist reference followed by a question asking where Botham was after he failed to come out to bat. Botham had not long received some bad family news that reached the scummy papers next morning after doubtless someone leaked it.

I don’t know whether it was that game or another, however, I do remember the swagger of Viv Richard’s when he walked to the crease. What a batsman.

 

[Ooh it’s a corner]

As a boy, I loved watching Imran play for Sussex. His commitment, skill and determination. And his willingness to take on responsibility.
Waqar Younis is my favourite bowler of that 80s/90s era. There was a brief period when his every ball was a grenade. World class Batsmen had no answer, let alone county players.

The Pakistan attack when they had Waqar and Wasim was lethal. Wasim was a very fine all rounder too