Hadlee equal of Lillee

Press, 2 December 1987, Page 48

Hadlee equal of Lillee

PA Adelaide Former Australian test cricketers are busy engaging in the popular pastime of comparing New Zealand fast bowler Richard Hadlee with Australian great Dennis Lillee.

In the wake of Hadlee’s outstanding 10-wicket haul against Western Australia at Perth, comparisons between the two outstanding bowlers have been flying thick and fast. Former test wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, a firm friend of Lillee, started the ball rolling by stating Hadlee had to be as good as Lillee, who took 355 test wickets, the same number as Hadlee will take into Friday’s first test at Brisbane.

However Ray Lindwall, regarded by many as Australia’s finest ever fast bowler, puts Lillee slightly ahead because of his extra pace. “It’s very hard to compare two players like them because they are both top class cricketers. Hadlee is a great bowler' but Lillee was a little bit more dangerous and a little bit quicker. I think Lillee, with his extra pace, would be a better bowler on a good batting wicket,” Lindwall said. New South Wales hero and champion Australian allrounder of the 1950 s and 19605, Alan Davidson, opted to sit on the fence. “They’re both champions, but they’re different in style.

"Lillee was a fierce competitor and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone hit the deck (pitch)

as hard as him — he would extract everything possible from a pitch. “Hadlee tends to glide the ball off the pitch. He has a tremendous ability to move the ball both ways but he never fights the pitch as much as Dennis did.”

Bill O’Reilly, legendary spinner of the 1930 s and long time newspaper columnist, took a different tack.

“The only thing they have in common is they both open the bowling and they are both righthanders. I liken Hadlee to bowlers like Maurice Tate and Alec Bedser with his ability to move the ball. If Hadlee was classed as a fast bowler I would say he would be the best quickie to have ever picked up a cricket ball. But I don’t class him as a fast bowler,” he said.

The former Australian spin bowler of the 1960 s and 19705, Ashley Mallett, agreed with Marsh’s rating. "I don’t think there’s too much between them. Both of them have classic styles, they both bowl close to the stumps and they both benefit from that by taking wickets,” Mallett said.

Alan Connolly, who opened Australia’s bowling in the late 1960 s and early 19705, said Lillee was a magnificent fast bowler and a very good fast medium bowler. Hadlee, he said, was one of the best exponents of fast medium bowling he had seen.