Cricket legend Sir Richard Hadlee undergoes surgery after being diagnosed with bowel cancer

Cricket legend Sir Richard Hadlee has been diagnosed with bowel cancer.

The former New Zealand all-rounder had a colonoscopy where a tumour was discovered, the New Zealand Herald reported.

He had an operation to remove the tumour and has since made a recovery.

Sir Richard, 66, will undergo further chemotherapy which will last a few months

Sir Richard, 66, will undergo further chemotherapy which will last a few months, his wife Lady Dianne said.

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

Sir Richard had previously been diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which causes his heart to beat irregularly.

He underwent open-heart surgery and takes medication to keep his blood thin and heartbeat regular. 

He is widely regarded as the finest cricketer ever to play for New Zealand. 

Playing 86 Tests and 110 one-day internationals, he was knighted in 1990 for services to cricket.

He was the first player to take 400 Test wickets, and his most memorable performance was a 15-wicket haul against Australia in Brisbane in 1985 where he took 9 for 52 in the first innings. 

The former New Zealand all-rounder had a colonoscopy where a tumour was discovered (Pictured: Sir Richard and current New Zealand captain Kane Williamson)