Sir Richard opens up his home to promising Aussie paceman

New Zealand’s greatest ever bowler opened up his Canterbury home to one of Australia’s most promising pacemen last week.

Sir Richard Hadlee spent a day at MainPower Oval in Rangiora working with Australian paceman Billy Stanlake.

The imposing 25-year-old, who is 2.04m and bowls at speeds of up to 150km/h, reached out to Sir Richard through a mutual friend - and the 431 test wicket-taker was more than willing to help.

“He’s quite an intimidating sight actually," said Sir Richard. 

"I was pleased to work with him. I just put him through his paces and made a few minor technical adjustments, and he responded well to that."

Stanlake - who has played seven one-day internationals and 19 international T20s for Australia - also spent a night at Hadlee’s house, where they shared stories about their respective careers and how the game and mental pressures of cricket have changed over time.

"He communicated well and asked a lot of questions, so I got to know him and was interested in his psychology and approach to the game," said Sir Richard.

"I found it to be a great experience for myself because, in many ways, I'm out of date. I mean I've been retired 30 years and I don't do this sort of thing anymore. 

"I was pleased to do it and it challenged me as well. One of (Stanlake's) comments was: 'I've never had it explained to me in that way'."

It was a quick visit for Stanlake, who was only in Christchurch for 24 hours to meet Sir Richard.

Stanlake is currently playing for Queensland in Australia's four-day state competition. He took 2/59 and 1/33 in their most recent match against Victoria.

Sir Richard said the pair have a great rapport and he will be following Stanlake’s career with a keen eye.

"He's got a lot of ability and wants to improve his game," Sir Richard said.

"He wants to play test cricket, but he seems to be pigeon-holed to one-day games and T20 games at the moment."