Hadlee voted best bowler and second all-rounder

Press, 10 January 1986, Page 20

Hadlee voted best bowler and second all-rounder

NZPA Melbourne New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee, delicately poised on 299 test wickets, has been voted the best bowler in the world, according to a poll released yesterday. Hadlee ursurps two West Indians, Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner, in an exclusive poll conducted by the “Australian” newspaper. Five especially chosen experts were asked to base their choices on the best players in the world over the past 12 to 15 months. The panel consisted of the “Australian’s” chief cricket

writer, a Yorkshireman, Terry Brindle; the editor of the “Wisden Cricket Monthly” magazine, Davie Frith; the West Indian writer and commentator Tony Cozier; an A.B.C. cricket commentator, Jim Maxwell; and a noted freelance writer covering the Indian tour in Australia, D. J. Rutnagur. lan Smith, unavailable for the World Series Cup tour, was named third-equal best wicketkeeper. Hadlee accrued 10 votes. His efforts against Australia last year and also in the

West Indies won him the respect of the panel. Supposedly in the autumn of his career, Hadlee also polled well as an all-roun-der.

He was second to lan Botham, who reigns supreme after his super efforts in the Ashes series.

The Australian captain, Allan Border, was rated the best batsman in the world ahead of Viv Richards. Border scored two centuries on the Ashes tour and two more against New Zealand and India at home. In the last 12 months,

Border has ’ accumulated 1174 runs.

He is in fourteenth place with 5909 runs on the list of highest run-makers in test history after 78 tests, with Richards fifteenth with 5889 runs from 77 tests.

The tall West Indian, Roger Harper, was voted the best fielder in the world. Poll results:

Batsmen: Allen Border 12, Viv Richards 7, Tim Robinson 3; David Gower, Clive Lloyd, Mohammed Azharuddin 2; Gordon Greenidge, Sanil Gavaskar 1. Bowlers: Richard Hadlee

10, Malcolm Marshall 8, Joel Garner 5, Phil Edmonds 4, Richard Ellison 2, Ravi Ratnayeke 1.

All rounders: lan Botham 14, Richard Hadlee 8, Kapil Dev 7, Imran; Khan 1.

Wicket-keepers: Jeffrey Dujon 7, Allan Knott 6; Steve Rixon, Syed Kirmani, lan Smith 3; Ray Phillips, Jack Richards, Amal Silva, Stephen Rhodes 1. Fieldsmen: Roger Harper 9, David Gower 6, Gus Logie 5; Vivian Richards, Richie Richardson, Derek Randall, Greg Matthews 2; Mohammed Azharuddin 1.