Now it is time to talk about the 2 Sirs in Sir Ian Botham vs Sir Richard Hadlee. These 2 are the 2 best all rounders from England and New Zealand. Richard Hadlee, just like Imran Khan is the greatest player to ever play for New Zealand and there is no debate about it. Ian Botham was an inspiration to all the young England players and now Ben Stokes emulates him very well.
Before we talk about the stats Comparison between these 2 all time greats, I just want to say that as an Indian fan it was difficult to watch these 2 score big or take lots of wickets against India but still they were respected by everyone including their peers.
Ian Botham
We talked about this Champion cricketer in a previous article and again I want to say that Sir Ian Botham was someone who could do anything for England and he was the most Dependable player in the England team and all the other teams feared him. Watching Ben Stokes do his thing now feels like what Ian Botham must be doing in his prime.
Test Cricket
Ian Botham’s best format and the one where he was the most successful in was test cricket by a mile. He played 102 Test Matches for England and in those Matches he scored 5200 runs for England. He had an average of 33.54 and he also made 14 Hundreds in test cricket with a highest score of 208. As a fast bowler he was lethal and had a knack for picking Wickets. He got 383 Test Wickets at an average of 28.40 in which he has 27 Five wicket hauls and 4 times 10 wickets in a test match.
Also Read | Zaheer Khan vs Chaminda Vaas – Stats Comparison as Fast Bowler
ODI Cricket
As we discussed earlier Ian Botham did not play much of ODI cricket but still he has a good run. He played 116 ODIs for England in which he made 2113 runs at an average of 23.21. He had a highest score of 79. And as a fast bowler he took 145 wickets at an average of 28.54. He could have played more ODI cricket.
Check here Top 5 Ian Botham Best Performances
Format | Test Cricket | ODIs |
Matches | 102 | 116 |
Runs scored | 5200 | 2113 |
Batting average | 33.54 | 23.21 |
100s/50s | 14/22 | 0/9 |
Top score | 208 | 79 |
Balls Bowled | 21815 | 6271 |
Wickets | 383 | 145 |
Bowling average | 28.40 | 28.54 |
5 Wickets in an innings | 27 | 0 |
10 Wickets in a match | 4 | 0 |
Best bowling | 8/34 | 4/31 |
Also Read | Kapil Dev vs Imran Khan – Stats Comparison as All Rounder
Richard Hadlee
Sir Richard Hadlee was the best cricketer to ever play for New Zealand and he was the role model for the young New Zealand players that wanted to play for New Zealand. Richard Hadlee was the 4th player in the greatest quartet of all Rounders.
Test Cricket
Richard Hadlee had an outstanding test career and he was absolutely threatening as a fast bowler. He played 86 Test Matches and he scored 3124 test runs at an average of 27.16. He also made 2 Test hundreds and a highest score of 151*. As a fast bowler he took 431 Test Wickets and he has an average of 22.29 and he took 36 Five wicket hauls in his career and 9 times he took 1/ wickets in a test match. He had a best performance of 9/52.
Check here Wasim Akram vs Zaheer Khan – Stats Comparison as Fast Bowler
ODI Cricket
Just like Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee did not play much ODI cricket. He played 115 ODIs for New Zealand and he scored 1751 Test runs at an average of 21.61. He had a highest score of 79 in ODI Cricket. As a fast bowler he took 158 Wickets in ODI cricket and he had a bowling average of 21.56. He has taken 5 Five wicket hauls in his career
Check here Best Bowling Performances by Sir Richard Hadlee
Format | Test Cricket | ODIs |
Matches | 86 | 115 |
Runs scored | 3124 | 1751 |
Batting average | 27.16 | 21.61 |
100s/50s | 2/15 | 0/4 |
Top score | 151* | 79 |
Balls Bowled | 21918 | 6182 |
Wickets | 431 | 158 |
Bowling average | 22.29 | 21.56 |
5 Wickets in an innings | 36 | 5 |
10 Wickets in a match | 9 | 0 |
Best bowling | 9/52 | 5/25 |
Stats Comparison
When we compare the stats of these 2 incredible players, we can see that in test cricket when it comes to batting Ian Botham has the edge as he scored 2100+ runs more than Richard Hadlee but when it comes to bowling then Richard Hadlee has the clear edge because not only has he played 16 less test Matches but also taken 48 Test Wickets. When it comes to ODIs, it is very close as both have scored less runs and the number of wickets is also equal.
Also Read: Imran Khan vs Ian Botham - Stats Comparison as All Rounder
