Sir Richard Hadlee diagnosed with bowel cancer

Sir Richard Hadlee, the legendary New Zealand all-rounder, has been diagnosed with bowel cancer, New Zealand cricket said on Wednesday 13 June, on behalf of his wife, Lady Dianne.

The good news is that Hadlee recently underwent surgery to remove the tumour, and will commence chemotherapy shortly – he is expected to make a full recovery.

“Last month, Richard had a routine, three-year colonoscopy, and we discovered that he has bowel cancer,” Dianne said in a statement. “He has since had an operation to remove the tumour. This operation went extremely well, and he has made an excellent recovery from surgery.

“As a safeguard, further treatment in the form of chemotherapy will commence shortly and last for a few months. It is expected that, in time, he will have a full recovery.

“Our reasons for making this statement are a desire to be transparent, and to prevent the inevitable speculation and incorrect rumours.

“I would also request people's understanding and acceptance of our request for privacy while we go through the next few months, both for ourselves and for the extended Hadlee family.”

Hadlee, 66, picked up 431 Test wickets before retiring in 1990 – it was a world record at the time. He was knighted during his tour of England in 1990, and is recognised as one of the greatest all-rounders the game has ever produced.

Apart from 431 wickets, he scored 3124 runs at 27.16 in 86 Tests. In 115 ODIs, he had 1751 runs and 158 wickets.

He played a pivotal role in helping New Zealand emerge as a serious cricketing nation in 1980s.