New Zealand Cricket Legend Richard Hadlee To Undergo Second Round Of Cancer Surgery

New Zealand cricketing great Richard Hadlee will undergo a second round of surgery after cancer spread to his liver, his wife Dianne said on Monday. Last month, Hadlee had undergone a surgery for bowel cancer and was expected to make a full recovery after a course of chemotherapy. However, Dianne Hadlee provided an update on the 67-year-old cricketer's condition. "This week, Richard will undergo further surgery after secondary cancer was discovered in his liver," she said in a statement. "Medical advice is that it's still at a very early stage and is operable."

Born on July 3, 1951, Hadlee is regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, and was the first to take 400 Test wickets. By the time he retired in 1990, he had played 86 Tests and taken 431 wickets at 22.29. His best bowling figures of 9/52 came against Australia in Brisbane in 1985.

He was also a hard-hitting batsman with a Test career total of 3,124 runs, including two centuries and 15 half-centuries, at an average of 27.16.

Hadlee represented New Zealand in 115 ODIs claiming 158 wickets and scored 1751 runs with a highest score of 79.

He made his Test debut for the Kiwis against Pakistan at Wellington in 1973 and played his last Test against England at Birmingham in July 1990.

Hadlee, who retired in 1990 at the age of 39, was knighted in the same year for his services to cricket.

(With AFP inputs)

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