1. Richard Hadlee
Wickets: 431
Average: 22.29
Strike rate: 50.8
Five wicket bags: 36
Best bowling (innings): 9/52
The oil: Not just our best bowler but our best player. Hadlee is the only New Zealander you could seriously consider for an all-time World XI. He has to rank alongside Dennis Lillee and Malcolm Marshall as the greatest ever pace bowlers.
Wickets: 87
Average: 22.09
Strike rate: 38.7
Five-wicket bags: 5
Best bowling (innings): 6/51
The oil: Injury and a stint in the ‘‘rebel’’ India Cricket League robbed the Black Caps of his services more often. He played just 18 tests. But his ability to bowl at 150kmh and get late swing made him one of the most destructive fast bowlers in world cricket.
Wickets: 235
Average: 26.60
Strike rate: 52.8
Five-wicket bags: 9
Best bowling (innings): 7/39
The oil: Almost never sees the new ball. Bowls with one that has already been roughed up and does it with tremendous energy. Possesses the most accurate bouncer in world cricket. And because he’s a lefty, it comes at you at a tricky angle.
4. Jack Cowie
Wickets: 45
Average: 21.53
Strike rate: 45.0
Five-wicket bags: 4
Best bowling (innings): 6/40
The oil: New Zealand was very much an unfashionable opponent during his prime, so he only played nine tests. But his first-class career haul of 359 wickets at 22.28 suggests we were denied seeing a great champion in action at the highest level more often.
5/6. Trent Boult/Tim Southee
Wickets (combined): 630
Five-wicket bags (combined): 22
The oil: They operate best in tandem and it is hard to separate them statistically, so why bother. Boult can bend the ball both ways and the left-armer gets good batters out. Southee’s stock ball is the outswinger and it gets good players out as well. They are like chocolate and coffee — very good individually but superb together.
Wickets: 361
Average: 34.15
Strike rate: 79.3
Five-wicket bags: 20
Best bowling (innings): 7/87
The oil: Ajaz Patel and John Bracewell are arguably better spinners. But Vettori enjoyed a long and productive test career.
Wickets: 218
Average: 29.40
Strike rate: 53.6
Five-wicket bags: 13
Best bowling (innings): 7/27
The oil: His real value was as an all-rounder but Cairns could be brilliant with the ball as well. An early back injury robbed him of some raw pace but he made things happen.
9. Kyle Jamieson
Wickets: 60
Average: 17.30
Strike rate: 41.3
Five-wicket bags: 5
Best bowling (innings): 6/48
The oil: It is so early in his career, it is hard to know where the towering right-armer will finish. On his current trajectory, he will quickly scale this list. He has all the weapons.
10. Chris Martin
Wickets: 233
Average: 33.81
Strike rate: 60.1
Five-wicket bags: 10
Best bowling (innings): 6/26
The oil: A hard-working player who was really effective against left-handers. Would it be fair to mention his batting?
Honourable mentions
Bruce Taylor has been criminally underrated. The tall all-rounder took 111 wickets at 26.60 and at a strike rate of 57. Sack the cricket writer.
Ajaz Patel is unlucky all round. The guy takes all 10 wickets in an innings and gets dropped. He’s the real victim of New Zealand’s four-pronged pace attack.
Danny Morrison paid the price for his move into commentary.
