Harsh Thakor
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Wasim Akram and Richard Hadlee were both cricketing geniuses similar in some ways different in others.
Both were attacking batsmen with ability to score fifties and centuries at their best.Often they were effective in ODI's as batsmen with their hitting prowess.Both were best at fast -medium and captured over 400 scalps.
Hadlee had more control,accuracy and consistency.To put the ball in the spot Richard was the ultimate master.However Wasim had more subtle variations,greater mastery of reverse swing and thus overall more versatile.Richard would win on a green top by a margin but on flat deck Wasim was the more capable.Hadlee could outthink a great batsmen more like a computer programmed while Wasim could overpower a great oponent playing the tricks of a magician.Hadlee was a technician,Wasim was a wizard.
Statistically in test cricket Hadlee was significantly better taking 432 scalps in 86 games at an average of 22.29 with seven 10 wicket hauls and 36 five wicket hauls .Wasim had 414 scalps in 105 tests at an average of 23.62 with 25 five wicket hauls.Hadlee also had better figures in his peak period from 1978-88 than Wasim did in his peak era from 1990-98.However Wasim played more than half his tests on flat sub-continent tracks while the majority of Hadlee's scalps were on green tops in New Zealand and Australia.Hadlee also bore the brunt of a very weak bowling attack while Wasim bowled alongside great bowlers like Waqar,Saqlain.Imran etc.Neverthless statistically Hadlee won the battle with Wasim as a test bowler.
In ODI's Wasim is a clear winner but Hadlee hardly played ODI cricket as much.Still Richard was the more economical.
Great batsmen found Wasim more challenging or daunting with his incredible repertoire be it Viv Richards,Sunil Gavaskar or Brian Lara.In his era great batsmen found iit more challenging to face Lillee or Marshall or even Roberts than Hadlee.
As a batsmen Hadlee was the more consistent or durable although Wasim was the more talented.At his best i would prefer Wasim to Richard as a pure batsmen.
Wasim ,unlike Hadlee was the captain of his team and a relatively successful one.Led his team to claim runner up berth in 1999 world cup and win test series v West Indies at home and England on their home soil.
In the final analysis by a margin less than a whisker I would choose Wasim Akram.Even not combining ODI's I feel it is Wasim who would be more impactful ,particularly on sub-continent flat decks.Hadlee would win it in test cricket on stats but they do not always convey the true story.Combining ODI'S Wasim would win by a slender margin taking into consideration his contribution in world cups and staggering stats.
STATISTICS FROM S.RAJESH OF CRICINFO
WASIM AKRAM
With 326 ODI wickets in wins, Akram is next only to Muralitharan in this regard. He's clearly one of the greatest matchwinners in ODIs, averaging less than 19 at a run rate of 3.70. Among bowlers with at least 150 wickets in wins, only four bowlers have a better average.
Akram's ODI career Period Matches Wickets Average Econ rate 4+ wkts
Till Dec 1991 107 143 23.97 3.84 5
Jan 1992 - Dec 1997 131 198 21.86 3.76 14
Jan 1998 onwards 118 161 25.17 4.09 4
Career 356 502 23.52 3.89 23
Best bowling averages in wins in ODIs (Qual: 150 wickets) Bowler ODIs Wickets Average Econ rate 4+ wkts
Saqlain Mushtaq 93 188 15.84 3.78 11
Glenn McGrath 171 301 17.94 3.65 15
Muttiah Muralitharan 191 347 18.08 3.63 21
Waqar Younis 149 278 18.76 4.33 21
Wasim Akram 199 326 18.86 3.70 18
Allan Donald 108 195 19.05 3.96 10
During that eight-year period from 1990 to 1997, Akram had the best figures in Test cricket, barring none. There were several legendary bowlers who were at the height of their craft during an era which we now look back on as a golden one for bowlers, especially the fast ones - Curtly Ambrose, Allan Donald, Waqar Younis and Glenn McGrath were all around, but Akram's stats stood out even among them. His average of 20.05 was better than anyone else's during this period (with a cut-off of 150 wickets); in terms of strike rate, only Waqar was ahead.
During these eight years, Akram was Man of the Match in 12 of the 48 Tests he played, an incredible average of one every four games. Eight of these were in overseas Tests, including the game in Melbourne and the next one in Adelaide, when he turned in an outstanding all-round performance, taking six wickets and scoring 52 and 123. At the time it was only the 12th instance of a player scoring 150 or more and taking six or more wickets in a Test.
Best Test bowlers between Jan 1990 and Dec 1997 (Qual: 150 wickets) Bowler Tests Wickets Average Strike rate 5WI/ 10WM
Wasim Akram 48 240 20.05 46.4 16/ 3
Curtly Ambrose 57 247 20.50 52.8 17/ 3
Waqar Younis 46 232 21.23 40.1 19/ 4
Allan Donald 36 171 23.27 48.8 9/ 2
Akram's genius and his ability to burst through batting line-ups is obvious from the fact that he has taken two hat-tricks in Tests and ODIs, the only bowler to do so. He finished with 22 Man-of-the-Match awards in ODIs, which isn't anywhere near Sachin Tendulkar's 61, but it's a significant number considering the fact that ODIs are usually dominated by batsmen. In fact, Akram and Shaun Pollock (who also has 22) have the highest number of awards among players whose major suit isn't batting.
Overall, he won 17 Man-of-the-Match and seven Man-of-the-Series awards, both of which are among the highest. Even better, his rate of winning these awards, one every six Tests, is the best among those who've won at least ten such prizes.
Highest frequency of MoM awards in Tests (Qual: 10 awards) Player Tests MoM awards Tests per award
Wasim Akram 104 17 6.12
Jacques Kallis 137 20 6.85
Muttiah Muralitharan 132 19 6.95
Curtly Ambrose 98 14 7.00
Imran Khan 88 11 8.00
Malcolm Marshall 81 10 8.10
Like most fast bowlers from Pakistan, Akram too mastered the art of bowling grassless pitches, where reverse swing becomes a most potent weapon. He is one of only four bowlers to take more than 150 wickets in Pakistan, while in the three major subcontinent countries, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, his average was marginally better than his overall career average.
Best Test fast bowlers in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (Qual: 100 wkts) Bowler Tests Wkts Average Strike rate 5WI/ 10WM
Imran Khan 51 205 20.28 48.8 12/ 3
Waqar Younis 41 191 21.07 39.2 13/ 4
Wasim Akram 57 211 22.67 52.9 11/ 1
Shoaib Akhtar 26 108 24.87 45.2 6/ 1
RICHARD HADLEE
There were several outstanding bowlers who were at the peak of their powers in the 1980s, but even among them Hadlee stood out. In the 11-year period between 1978 and 1988, his average of 19.57 was bettered only by Imran. Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner had a slightly higher average, while Kapil and Botham find themselves at the bottom of the table below, with their averages almost 10 higher than Hadlee's.
Best Test bowlers between Jan 1978 and Dec 1988 (Qual: 150 wickets) Bowler Tests Wickets Average Strike rate 5WI/ 10WM
Imran Khan 58 272 19.39 47.8 19/ 5
Richard Hadlee 60 330 19.57 48.4 32/ 8
Joel Garner 53 234 20.27 50.6 7/ 0
Malcolm Marshall 61 300 20.88 45.8 18/ 3
Michael Holding 47 192 23.69 50.8 9/ 1
Dennis Lillee 38 184 24.32 52.6 11/ 3
Best averages in Test wins (Qual: 150 wickets) Bowler Tests Wickets Average Strike rate 5WI/ 10WM
Richard Hadlee 22 173 13.06 33.5 17/ 8
Imran Khan 26 155 14.50 38.3 11/ 6
Muttiah Muralitharan 53 430 16.03 42.6 40/ 18
Malcolm Marshall 43 254 16.78 38.1 17/ 4
Allan Donald 33 187 16.79 35.5 14/ 3
Curtly Ambrose 44 229 16.86 44.4 13/ 3
Best overseas fast bowlers in Tests in Asia since 1970 (Qual: 50 wickets) Bowler Tests Wickets Average Strike rate 5WI/ 10WM
Courtney Walsh 17 77 20.53 45.2 5/ 0
Dale Steyn 11 57 21.33 34.7 4/ 1
Richard Hadlee 13 68 21.58 42.7 5/ 2
Glenn McGrath 19 72 23.02 54.8 1/ 0
Bowling was clearly his best suit, but Hadlee was a pretty handy batsman as well, especially during the second half of his career. In his last 46 Tests he averaged an impressive 33.16, which was an improvement of more than 50% over his average in his first 40 Tests. His only Test century came during this period too, when he scored an unbeaten 151 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1987.
Richard Hadlee's batting career in Tests Period Runs Average 100s/ 50s
First 40 Tests 1300 21.66 1/ 5
Last 46 Tests 1824 33.16 1/ 10
Career 3124 27.16 2/ 15
Test cricket was the arena where Hadlee was at his fiercest, but he was more than a handful as a one-day player too. He played only 115 matches over 17 years - an indication of how frequently, or not, ODIs were played in his day - but finished with 158 wickets at an excellent average and economy rate. The strike rate improved tremendously during his last eight years, with his wickets-per-match figure going up to 1.5.
Richard Hadlee as an ODI bowler Period ODIs Wickets Average Econ rate Strike rate
Till Dec 1981 34 38 27.89 3.31 50.5
Jan 1982 onwards 81 120 19.55 3.30 35.5
Career 115 158 21.56 3.30 39.1
Among bowlers who took at least 100 ODI wickets till 1990, Hadlee averaged fourth, with only Joel Garner, Dennis Lillee and Michael Holding doing better. The last World Cup he played was in 1983, and he finished with an exceptional record in the tournament, conceding only 2.88 runs per over in 13 matches.
Lowest bowling averages among ODI bowlers till 1990 (Qual: 100 wickets) Bowler ODIs Wickets Average Econ rate Strike rate
Joel Garner 98 146 18.84 3.09 36.5
Dennis Lillee 63 103 20.82 3.58 34.8
Michael Holding 102 142 21.36 3.32 38.5
Richard Hadlee 115 158 21.56 3.30 39.1
Wasim Akram 99 133 23.45 3.78 37.1
Imran Khan 154 167 25.19 3.85 39.2
Both were attacking batsmen with ability to score fifties and centuries at their best.Often they were effective in ODI's as batsmen with their hitting prowess.Both were best at fast -medium and captured over 400 scalps.
Hadlee had more control,accuracy and consistency.To put the ball in the spot Richard was the ultimate master.However Wasim had more subtle variations,greater mastery of reverse swing and thus overall more versatile.Richard would win on a green top by a margin but on flat deck Wasim was the more capable.Hadlee could outthink a great batsmen more like a computer programmed while Wasim could overpower a great oponent playing the tricks of a magician.Hadlee was a technician,Wasim was a wizard.
Statistically in test cricket Hadlee was significantly better taking 432 scalps in 86 games at an average of 22.29 with seven 10 wicket hauls and 36 five wicket hauls .Wasim had 414 scalps in 105 tests at an average of 23.62 with 25 five wicket hauls.Hadlee also had better figures in his peak period from 1978-88 than Wasim did in his peak era from 1990-98.However Wasim played more than half his tests on flat sub-continent tracks while the majority of Hadlee's scalps were on green tops in New Zealand and Australia.Hadlee also bore the brunt of a very weak bowling attack while Wasim bowled alongside great bowlers like Waqar,Saqlain.Imran etc.Neverthless statistically Hadlee won the battle with Wasim as a test bowler.
In ODI's Wasim is a clear winner but Hadlee hardly played ODI cricket as much.Still Richard was the more economical.
Great batsmen found Wasim more challenging or daunting with his incredible repertoire be it Viv Richards,Sunil Gavaskar or Brian Lara.In his era great batsmen found iit more challenging to face Lillee or Marshall or even Roberts than Hadlee.
As a batsmen Hadlee was the more consistent or durable although Wasim was the more talented.At his best i would prefer Wasim to Richard as a pure batsmen.
Wasim ,unlike Hadlee was the captain of his team and a relatively successful one.Led his team to claim runner up berth in 1999 world cup and win test series v West Indies at home and England on their home soil.
In the final analysis by a margin less than a whisker I would choose Wasim Akram.Even not combining ODI's I feel it is Wasim who would be more impactful ,particularly on sub-continent flat decks.Hadlee would win it in test cricket on stats but they do not always convey the true story.Combining ODI'S Wasim would win by a slender margin taking into consideration his contribution in world cups and staggering stats.
STATISTICS FROM S.RAJESH OF CRICINFO
WASIM AKRAM
With 326 ODI wickets in wins, Akram is next only to Muralitharan in this regard. He's clearly one of the greatest matchwinners in ODIs, averaging less than 19 at a run rate of 3.70. Among bowlers with at least 150 wickets in wins, only four bowlers have a better average.
Akram's ODI career Period Matches Wickets Average Econ rate 4+ wkts
Till Dec 1991 107 143 23.97 3.84 5
Jan 1992 - Dec 1997 131 198 21.86 3.76 14
Jan 1998 onwards 118 161 25.17 4.09 4
Career 356 502 23.52 3.89 23
Best bowling averages in wins in ODIs (Qual: 150 wickets) Bowler ODIs Wickets Average Econ rate 4+ wkts
Saqlain Mushtaq 93 188 15.84 3.78 11
Glenn McGrath 171 301 17.94 3.65 15
Muttiah Muralitharan 191 347 18.08 3.63 21
Waqar Younis 149 278 18.76 4.33 21
Wasim Akram 199 326 18.86 3.70 18
Allan Donald 108 195 19.05 3.96 10
During that eight-year period from 1990 to 1997, Akram had the best figures in Test cricket, barring none. There were several legendary bowlers who were at the height of their craft during an era which we now look back on as a golden one for bowlers, especially the fast ones - Curtly Ambrose, Allan Donald, Waqar Younis and Glenn McGrath were all around, but Akram's stats stood out even among them. His average of 20.05 was better than anyone else's during this period (with a cut-off of 150 wickets); in terms of strike rate, only Waqar was ahead.
During these eight years, Akram was Man of the Match in 12 of the 48 Tests he played, an incredible average of one every four games. Eight of these were in overseas Tests, including the game in Melbourne and the next one in Adelaide, when he turned in an outstanding all-round performance, taking six wickets and scoring 52 and 123. At the time it was only the 12th instance of a player scoring 150 or more and taking six or more wickets in a Test.
Best Test bowlers between Jan 1990 and Dec 1997 (Qual: 150 wickets) Bowler Tests Wickets Average Strike rate 5WI/ 10WM
Wasim Akram 48 240 20.05 46.4 16/ 3
Curtly Ambrose 57 247 20.50 52.8 17/ 3
Waqar Younis 46 232 21.23 40.1 19/ 4
Allan Donald 36 171 23.27 48.8 9/ 2
Akram's genius and his ability to burst through batting line-ups is obvious from the fact that he has taken two hat-tricks in Tests and ODIs, the only bowler to do so. He finished with 22 Man-of-the-Match awards in ODIs, which isn't anywhere near Sachin Tendulkar's 61, but it's a significant number considering the fact that ODIs are usually dominated by batsmen. In fact, Akram and Shaun Pollock (who also has 22) have the highest number of awards among players whose major suit isn't batting.
Overall, he won 17 Man-of-the-Match and seven Man-of-the-Series awards, both of which are among the highest. Even better, his rate of winning these awards, one every six Tests, is the best among those who've won at least ten such prizes.
Highest frequency of MoM awards in Tests (Qual: 10 awards) Player Tests MoM awards Tests per award
Wasim Akram 104 17 6.12
Jacques Kallis 137 20 6.85
Muttiah Muralitharan 132 19 6.95
Curtly Ambrose 98 14 7.00
Imran Khan 88 11 8.00
Malcolm Marshall 81 10 8.10
Like most fast bowlers from Pakistan, Akram too mastered the art of bowling grassless pitches, where reverse swing becomes a most potent weapon. He is one of only four bowlers to take more than 150 wickets in Pakistan, while in the three major subcontinent countries, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, his average was marginally better than his overall career average.
Best Test fast bowlers in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (Qual: 100 wkts) Bowler Tests Wkts Average Strike rate 5WI/ 10WM
Imran Khan 51 205 20.28 48.8 12/ 3
Waqar Younis 41 191 21.07 39.2 13/ 4
Wasim Akram 57 211 22.67 52.9 11/ 1
Shoaib Akhtar 26 108 24.87 45.2 6/ 1
RICHARD HADLEE
There were several outstanding bowlers who were at the peak of their powers in the 1980s, but even among them Hadlee stood out. In the 11-year period between 1978 and 1988, his average of 19.57 was bettered only by Imran. Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner had a slightly higher average, while Kapil and Botham find themselves at the bottom of the table below, with their averages almost 10 higher than Hadlee's.
Best Test bowlers between Jan 1978 and Dec 1988 (Qual: 150 wickets) Bowler Tests Wickets Average Strike rate 5WI/ 10WM
Imran Khan 58 272 19.39 47.8 19/ 5
Richard Hadlee 60 330 19.57 48.4 32/ 8
Joel Garner 53 234 20.27 50.6 7/ 0
Malcolm Marshall 61 300 20.88 45.8 18/ 3
Michael Holding 47 192 23.69 50.8 9/ 1
Dennis Lillee 38 184 24.32 52.6 11/ 3
Best averages in Test wins (Qual: 150 wickets) Bowler Tests Wickets Average Strike rate 5WI/ 10WM
Richard Hadlee 22 173 13.06 33.5 17/ 8
Imran Khan 26 155 14.50 38.3 11/ 6
Muttiah Muralitharan 53 430 16.03 42.6 40/ 18
Malcolm Marshall 43 254 16.78 38.1 17/ 4
Allan Donald 33 187 16.79 35.5 14/ 3
Curtly Ambrose 44 229 16.86 44.4 13/ 3
Best overseas fast bowlers in Tests in Asia since 1970 (Qual: 50 wickets) Bowler Tests Wickets Average Strike rate 5WI/ 10WM
Courtney Walsh 17 77 20.53 45.2 5/ 0
Dale Steyn 11 57 21.33 34.7 4/ 1
Richard Hadlee 13 68 21.58 42.7 5/ 2
Glenn McGrath 19 72 23.02 54.8 1/ 0
Bowling was clearly his best suit, but Hadlee was a pretty handy batsman as well, especially during the second half of his career. In his last 46 Tests he averaged an impressive 33.16, which was an improvement of more than 50% over his average in his first 40 Tests. His only Test century came during this period too, when he scored an unbeaten 151 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1987.
Richard Hadlee's batting career in Tests Period Runs Average 100s/ 50s
First 40 Tests 1300 21.66 1/ 5
Last 46 Tests 1824 33.16 1/ 10
Career 3124 27.16 2/ 15
Test cricket was the arena where Hadlee was at his fiercest, but he was more than a handful as a one-day player too. He played only 115 matches over 17 years - an indication of how frequently, or not, ODIs were played in his day - but finished with 158 wickets at an excellent average and economy rate. The strike rate improved tremendously during his last eight years, with his wickets-per-match figure going up to 1.5.
Richard Hadlee as an ODI bowler Period ODIs Wickets Average Econ rate Strike rate
Till Dec 1981 34 38 27.89 3.31 50.5
Jan 1982 onwards 81 120 19.55 3.30 35.5
Career 115 158 21.56 3.30 39.1
Among bowlers who took at least 100 ODI wickets till 1990, Hadlee averaged fourth, with only Joel Garner, Dennis Lillee and Michael Holding doing better. The last World Cup he played was in 1983, and he finished with an exceptional record in the tournament, conceding only 2.88 runs per over in 13 matches.
Lowest bowling averages among ODI bowlers till 1990 (Qual: 100 wickets) Bowler ODIs Wickets Average Econ rate Strike rate
Joel Garner 98 146 18.84 3.09 36.5
Dennis Lillee 63 103 20.82 3.58 34.8
Michael Holding 102 142 21.36 3.32 38.5
Richard Hadlee 115 158 21.56 3.30 39.1
Wasim Akram 99 133 23.45 3.78 37.1
Imran Khan 154 167 25.19 3.85 39.2
