Sport | Cricket
'Pacers have shorter career now'
Think New Zealand cricket and Sir Richard Hadlee comes to mind. Coming from a small cricketing nation, he formed the legendary quartet of allrounders alongwith Ian Botham, Kapil Dev and Imran Khan in the Eighties.
- By D. Datta, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 23:35 November 20, 2008
- Sir Richard Hadlee.
- Image Credit: Gulf News archive
Think New Zealand cricket and Sir Richard Hadlee comes to mind. Coming from a small cricketing nation, he formed the legendary quartet of allrounders alongwith Ian Botham, Kapil Dev and Imran Khan in the Eighties.
Currently the chairman of his country's board of selectors, Sir Richard held court on a range of subjects during a recent visit to India - including the ongoing tussle between IPL and ICL.
Following are the excerpts:
Gulf News: Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly have just retired. How difficult it will be for India to find their replacements?
Hadlee: Yes, Kumble and Ganguly had retired and it is always hard to fill the shoes when players of such calibre leave. But I am sure Indians will soon find players to rebuild the team.
The IPL is a terrific concept. Several youngsters are allowed to rub shoulders with the experienced players of the world and that should do a world of good to the youngsters in terms of grooming.
New Zealand are hosting the Aussies now. Do you think they will be more charged against their Trans-Tasmanian opponents?
I think this victory of the Indians will give our side a morale-boost that they too can beat the Aussies. It sounds good for us. The Aussies will have to look at so many factors now.
But the Kiwis are no longer the same team they were a couple of years before...
I know our cricket has been hit by the retirement of a few cricketers. There are a few who have joined the ICL and hence cannot qualify to play for their country.
However, I believe this is the right time for us to build up a team for the future.
Due to the IPL-ICL controversy, New Zealand had lost Shane Bond. Don't you think he should have been allowed to continue playing international cricket?
They should allow top players to play international cricket. Yes, we have already lost Shane Bond. It's a loss for the game in the end.
The cricket-loving people are going to miss quality and that is a huge loss for everybody.
How can the problem be sorted out?
At the moment, I cannot say how this can be solved. When the Packer World Series came in 1970s, it was not welcomed too. Moreover, it was called a destructive concept for the future of the game. It took some years to solve the problem.
Similarly, let's hope the ICC will definitely do something to sort out the problem as soon as possible so that the game goes on.
At the moment, there are not too many upcoming fast bowlers. Why?
Because of the amount of cricket being played nowadays. With the introduction of Twenty-20, the fast bowlers are required to bowl day in and out. It's too hectic for any fast bowler. They are under tremendous pressure to perform and the rules, too, are not in their favour. All these factors count.
Is it also the reason behind the fast bowlers breaking down so frequently these days?
Yes. A fast bowler cannot play for 10 years now at a stretch. It is almost impossible. In the earlier decades, we saw fast bowlers playing for 10-12 years with ease... I myself had a career of 18 years. Nowadays, you cannot even think about it.
Your views on Ishant Sharma, the Man of the Series in the recently concluded India-Australia series.
The most important thing is he has the basics right. He runs in hard, his action is straight and has a high-arm action.
Age too, is on his side. Overall, he is an exciting prospect for me.
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