There must have been a tinge of regret for left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel as New Zealand lost the recent Test match and series in Mumbai. He achieved a remarkable feat in becoming only the third man to take all ten wickets in a Test match innings. But unlike Jim Laker and Anil Kumble before him, Patel ended up on the losing side.
Just 28.1 overs after his glory, the 33-year-old must have been left with mixed emotions as he prepared to turn his arm over once more. Dismissed for just 62, there was no way back for New Zealand. Patel may have added another four wickets to his match tally. Yet he didn't even claim the man of the match award.
Patel's match figures of 14/225 are the second-best return for a New Zealand bowler in Test match cricket. Those with a passing interest in the sport will not be surprised to discover the man who stands above him on that list. The fact that these figures were achieved in an historic victory for New Zealand made the accomplishment that much sweeter.
Richard Hadlee was nearing the peak of his powers during the mid-80s. Before New Zealand's tour of Australia at the end of 1985, Hadlee had taken 266 wickets at 23.83, as well as averaging 24.85 with the bat. Instrumental in New Zealand's first series win over England in 1983/84, the all-rounder now had his sights set on Allan Border's struggling Australian team.
Hit by defections to South African rebel tours, Border had seen his team lose the Ashes 3-1 in England, and the task of turning the Australian ship around was looking more and more difficult by the day. His opposite number did not face such concerns.
Taking over from Geoff Howarth, Jeremy Coney not only had Hadlee leading his bowling attack, but he also had another world-class component in his batting line up. Martin Crowe would add to his growing reputation during the first Test in Brisbane. In fact, he would outscore Australia on his own after a stunning display from Hadlee.
Coney had captained the team before - two losses and a draw in Pakistan - but the first thing he did successfully as permanent skipper was to win the toss. With a greenish pitch and cloud cover, inserting the opposition was the obvious choice. When Coney called correctly, Australia were about to face the ultimate test.
Andrew Hilditch did not help the cause. Repeatedly out hooking during the tour to England, New Zealand hardly needed extensive video research to formulate a plan to the Australian opener. Just five balls into the innings, Hadlee fed the hook and Ewan Chatfield took a catch that must have left Australian cricket fans unable to decide whether to laugh or cry.
Kepler Wessels and David Boon steadied the innings, but when Hadlee dismissed the latter just before lunch, and then removed Border and Greg Ritchie after the interval, Australia were 82/4 and it took an unbroken stand of 69 between Wessels and wicketkeeper Wayne Phillips to restore parity.
When bad light brought an end to day one, Australia had reached 146/4, with Hadlee taking 4/35. The unbeaten fifth wicket stand of 64 had provided encouragement, yet the next two days would be a complete nightmare for Australia. And at one point it looked as if Hadlee would be joining Laker in the record books.
Removing Wessels, Greg Matthews, Phillips and Craig McDermott, Hadlee had taken all eight wickets to fall as Australia folded to 175/8. But any secret hopes he had of finishing with ten wickets were denied by his own hands.
When Geoff Lawson attempted to slog off-spinner Vaughan Brown through midwicket, the ball went skywards, and Hadlee found himself presented with the opportunity to thwart his place in history. Taking a good running catch, Hadlee later revealed that there was no way he was going to deliberately drop the ball.
"Some people have often said to me, 'Why didn't you drop it?'" Hadlee told Richie Benaud in an interview about that match. "And I say, 'Well the game of cricket is not like that, you take every chance that you can.'"
The wicket was not only significant for Hadlee. Making his debut, Brown would only play one more Test in his career. This dismissal of Lawson turned out be his only wicket in Test match cricket. With Dave Gilbert at the other end, and only Bob Holland to come, Hadlee's catch revealed the professional and selfless nature of the man.
Hadlee removed Holland as Australia were dismissed for 179, the last six wickets falling for just 33 runs. Finishing with figures of 23.4-4-52-9, Hadlee's return was the fourth best in a Test match innings behind Jim Laker (10/53 and 9/37) and George Lohmann (9/28). It set New Zealand on the road to their first victory in Australia.
A fine innings of 188 from Crowe, and 108 from John Reid, helped to confirm New Zealand's dominant position. Hadlee rubbed salt into the wounds with a 45-ball 54 that included three sixes. With useful contributions from John Wright, Brown, and Jeff Crowe, Coney was able to declare on the morning of day four.
New Zealand's 553/7 gave them a first innings lead of 374, and despite resistance from Border (152*) and Matthews' maiden Test century, the result was never in question. Chatfield took two early wickets, and Hadlee added another couple - you'll never guess how he dismissed Hilditch - as Australia initially slumped to 67/5.
It would be Hadlee that broke the stubborn sixth wicket stand of 197. Removing Matthews just before the end of day four, any lingering doubts were put to bed. Although New Zealand took two hours to take the last four wickets to win the match, fittingly it would be Hadlee that provided the winning moment when he bowled Holland.
Hadlee took 6/71, ending the match with figures of 15/123, the eighth best Test match return at the time. Henry Calthorpe, writing in the Observer, indicated the problems facing Australia. "His control was superb, he swung the ball away sharply from the right-hander, moved it both ways off the seam and with his whippy action found uncomfortable lift." He still had more to come.
Not only was the innings and 41 runs Test victory the first by a New Zealand team in Australia, it would also be part of a series win against their rivals. Australia did come back to win the next Test in Sydney, but Hadlee took 11/155 in Perth to inspire New Zealand to a 2-1 win. His 33 wickets at 12.15 made choosing a man of the series a simple task.
For Hadlee and New Zealand, the golden period continued. The win in
Australia was followed by victory over the same team at home in 1986,
and later in the year, the team won for the first time in England. They
even held the West Indies to a drawn series in 1986/87.
Australia's loss in Brisbane was their third consecutive innings defeat, and the subsequent series reverse was another hammer blow to Border and the once-proud cricketing nation. But in hindsight the writing was on the wall. A weakened team facing up against one of the greatest bowlers the game has ever seen was a recipe for disaster.
To lose to New Zealand may have seemed like the nadir for Australian cricket fans in 1985/86. Yet there was no disgrace in losing out to a team inspired by a genius. A man in such control of his game that he came so close to taking all ten wickets at the Gabba. Hadlee may not have quite matched Laker, Kumble and Patel. But New Zealand fans - and Vaughan Brown - will be forever grateful for his tour de force.
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