Williamson will be our best-ever batsman: Richard Hadlee

Usually at an event that is graced by sporting icons, you would expect them to garner all the attention and be given special treatment. But on Thursday evening at a posh suburban hotel, former New Zealand great all-rounder Richard Hadlee came across like any other human without any airs about his great achievements in cricket in the 1970s and 80s.

For starters, the 65-year-old introduced himself as “I am Richard Hadlee, former New Zealand cricketer” to a select gathering at an event to promote South Island of New Zealand. Hadlee played the role of master of ceremonies and did it to perfection, the style and poise similar to the manner in which he scalped the then world record of 431 wickets. In order to ensure that the audience listened to the tales of what South Island offered to tourists, Hadlee even walked upto a small section and signalled to them to maintain silence with a 'finger on your lips' gesture.

Hadlee, who carried the burden of his country's bowling from 1973 to 1990, was a master of swing bowling. He was part of the famous four all-rounders – Kapil Dev of India, Ian Botham of England and Pakistan's Imran Khan being the others – that rocked the world of cricket in the 1980s. Though his batting exploits were not as prolific as his other three contemporaries, he was easily the best bowler among the quartet.

The first bowler to 400 Test wickets was also the odd man out in the sense that he never captained his country while the other three did with varied successes. 

Ask him why, and he said: “I did not seek it (captaincy) at all,” Hadlee said during an interaction with the media on Thursday. “People felt that I had enough to do with bowling and batting. The added responsibility of captaincy, many felt, would have been detrimental to performance. I did not really want it. I was happy.”

When asked if captaincy really affected one's performance, the native of Christchurch, said: “When I was captain of Nottinghamshire (in England county cricket) for about 6-7 weeks when (regular skipper) Clive Rice was out through injury, quite frankly I enjoyed it. It did not affect my performance. But, that was at a different level. It made me more conscious to lead by example and accept my responsibilities as a player and try and help lift the team because if you are not putting in the effort during training and performing on the field, you cannot expect others to do. Psychologically, it is added responsibility but sometimes that responsibility and pressure can make you as a player.”

ANDERSON, STEYN IMPRESS HADLEE

The original 'Sultan of Swing', Hadlee spoke on the art of swing bowling and who among the current generation impressed him the most.

“James Anderson (of England), definitely is at the top. He swings it both ways. He has got good control. And, he has over 400 Test wickets and his average is coming down, well under 30 now while it was above that for quite a long time. And, his latter part of his career, he is probably more effective than he was in the first part of his career. It was like myself. Dale Steyn is another one who swings the ball nicely.”

When asked if he thought the South African Steyn has cut down on pace of late, Hadlee said: “I have not been following Steyn (about speed). There is so much cricket today, and if you are playing Test cricket, 50-over cricket and T20 cricket. you are going to tire. The body is going to get sore and you carry a few niggles. So, that is going to affect your pace. Sometimes, your technique through tiredness can be left wanting. You could get lazy with your technique, lose your balance or shoulder drops too quickly, then pace can be greatly affected just as your length and accuracy can.

“Probably, players today have got to be managed well so that they get good rest periods to recover and can be taken out of a format of the game so they can be used more effectively in the other format or two. They are management decisions, player decisions, what games they want to play. That's up to the individual and country they represent.”

SWING BOWLERS MATURE WITH AGE 

Hadlee said that he was at his best between 36 and 39 years of age – his last three years in Test cricket. He said that swing bowlers mature with age. “I played till I was 39 and you got to gain a lot of experience, know how to look after your body, how to prepare, how to train, what you are capable of doing and what you aren't. You stick to what you know and do it consistently, put the ball in the right place, the right channels with the right variation, interrogate the batsman, challenge them and see how they handle it. Because, if you get it wrong, or any bowler gets it wrong, the batsman will punish you. That is the contest between bat and ball. That is what I love about cricket. One-on-one battles, personal duels, the confrontations, that is what is all about, for me.”

The former right-arm bowler who batted left-handed said that big money in today's game is forcing players to retire prematurely. “Managing workloads is up to the head coaches of the international teams. The marketplace wherever it happens to be, the IPL, the CPL, Bangladesh, SL, they go everywhere. To be able to play Test cricket, ODI and T20 cricket is pretty demanding. Players are going to chase the dollar. If you are contracted to your country, the country should be able to have a control over the player over what he can and what he can't do.

“What we are seeing now is players retire from international cricket prematurely. That frees them up because they can do as they please, they can chase the leagues around the world and pick up some very good contracts. That is the professional environment that they work in these days. One has to be able to say 'this is what I want to play, this is what I want to commit to my country, do what I can for my country and develop a record that one can be proud of'. Once you hit the mid-30s, the attitudes change. The young fellows want to play for the country but when you are in the mid-30s, and there is some good money around, understandably, that is what they will do.”

Thankfully for Hadlee, he did not face any such issues in his playing days. And, he is proud to have played in the era that was entirely different from what it is today.

“There were only two formats when I played – Test cricket and 50-over cricket. It was the honour of playing for your country, to play as long as you can, and fit enough and able enough to keep playing, and as long as you are competitive, still doing okay. It is a very different game today.

“Players are very conscious of diet, in the way they train, what they are allowed to do and not do. It's a different game today. I would not change my era for anything. It's a lot harder for players today with the public profile, the media attention, sponsorship obligations, pressure of performance, the money they can earn which is extraordinary. If you are not performing and earning all that money, that creates extra pressure. We did not have all that.

And we were not chased by the media. They highlight things that are not necessarily cricket-related. Players have got to be very careful.”

'WILLIAMSON WILL BE OUR BEST'

Like how the four all-rounders dominated the world in his days, did he see a similarity in the way the current four prolific batsmen in India's Virat Kohli, England's Joe Root, Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson dictate terms in today's cricket?

“Those four players are outstanding batsmen. A joy to watch. AB de Villiers perhaps the most attacking unorthodox batsman. Bold strokeplay, innovative strokeplay. To me, AB is the No. 1 batsman in the world today in all forms of the game. But there is not a lot between all the others. On their day, they will make an impact. They are the top five. That will bring a lot of pleasure around the world. And you need them. All sports need superstars.

Those guys certainly stand out,” Hadlee said.

The 26-year-old Williamson took over the Test captaincy from the retired Brendon McCullum and began with a 2-0 series win in Zimbabwe recently. While he will be tested against the stronger opponents, South Africa, in their next assignment, Hadlee said that the current skipper will go on to achieve greater things.

“Brendon McCullum played an outstanding brand of cricket, attacking as a batsman, as a captain attacking in the field, always looking to try new things, had an aura about him, had tremendous amount of respect, team came first and not individual performances. Kane Williamson will do exactly the same but in a different style -- to play attacking cricket in his own way and getting his players to back themselves, be themselves, back them to get out there and perform.

“He will support the bowlers with attacking field. Kane is going to be around for a long time and has been given the responsibility of captaincy at a young age. Same as Stephen Fleming. Fleming was one of our great captains and finest players. Kane Williamson will be our best-ever batsman. Whether he has captaincy or not, he will do some wonderful things in the game. Players will enjoy playing under him. What we can see in the early stages is he is in control. He will be challenged like anyone else. When things don't go well, that is when he will be tested. To be able to make further judgement. For the moment, he has started well.”