Hadlee not invited for NZC awards

He is one of the finest fast bowlers the world has seen and arguably the greatest cricketer to emerge from New Zealand. His spell of 9 for 52 that decimated Australia in Brisbane 25 years ago is a part of cricketing legend. Yet none of them seems enough for New Zealand Cricket; according to a report in One News, not only is Hadlee’s Brisbane performance not being honoured at NZC’s annual cricket awards ceremony, he hasn’t even been invited to the event.

When asked about this glaring omission, Justin Vaughan, chief executive of NZC said, “I’m not sure whether he got invited or not. We can’t invite every great player.” Wasn't it an oversight given Hadlee is the only cricketer from New Zealand in the ICC Hall of Fame? Vaughan replied, “No I don’t think so. We do this every year. Sir Richard gets invited to the Chappell-Hadlee games every time which is just fitting considering it is named after the Hadlees.” Ironically, the trophy for ODI batting, named after Walter Hadlee, Richard’s father, will be presented at the ceremony by Ricki Herbert, coach of the All Whites.