Crash: Hadlee proved Kiwis can worship Aussies and wipe the floor with them

New Zealand will toast one of their greatest players playing his 100th Test on Friday, but why does Australia have his number? Another Kiwi great – Richard Hadlee – could provide inspiration for Kane Williamson.

With Australia driving New Zealand deep in the mental pothole it knows so well, the Test series is taking a poignant visit to city of the man who cracked the trans-Tasman code.

As has been the case for 30 years, the current Kiwi team seem so mentally intimidated by playing Australia their skills sets have scrambled under pressure in the first Test in Wellington and they look vulnerable approaching Friday’s second Test in Christchurch.

It is the classical tale of the big brother intimidating his little brother but it wasn’t always that way.

Kiwi swing bowling legend Richard Hadlee proved it was possible to both worship Australia and wipe the floor with them.

He idolised Dennis Lillee to the point that, when cornered on a bad day, he would ask himself “what would Lillee do?’’

But when he took the field against Australia, Hadlee was lifted rather than intimidated by the occasion.

Australia's Dennis Lillee and New Zealand's Richard Hadlee arm wrestling in Perth before the first Test in 1980. Arm wrestle. Picture: AAP.

Hadlee’s second best strike rate and average (20.57 per wicket) in Tests was against Australia.

He did better work against Australia than he did against most other nations.

Sadly, for New Zealand in the current series, some of their key batsmen become smaller men when they play Australia.

Captain Kane Williamson is one of those.

Williamson will play his 100th Test this weekend which is the time when pundits dive through your statistics and decide what to make of you.

The question with Williamson is whether he is very good or great.

With 8675 at 55 Williamson is one of the best batsmen of his generation but there are soft spots in his record which stop him being rated the pick of the bunch.

Against average Test attacks he has been sublime - he has averaged massive numbers against Bangladesh (82), Pakistan (66), Sri Lanka (78), the West Indies (60), and Zimbabwe (78).

But against the big three - Australia (37), England (36) and India (37) - he has been so-so despite some big moments.

Kane Williamson vs Australia, England, India:

39 Tests, 8 hundreds, average 37.3.

vs Bangladesh, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa:

60 Tests, 24 hundreds, average 69.3.

— Geoff Lemon Sport (@GeoffLemonSport) March 2, 2024

In his last five innings against Australia Williamson has scored 32 runs. He is likely to retire without ever beating Australia in a series which will deflate him given he played in a strong side.

Opening batsman Tom Latham has a similar tale. He averages just under 40 in Tests but a paltry 24 against Australia.

Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc, who have dismissed him five times each, torment him in Tests.

The Kiwis have won just one of their last 32 Tests against Australia. Big brother casts a giant shadow.

Originally published as Crash: Hadlee proved Kiwis can worship Aussies and wipe the floor with them