The following is a Press Release from New Zealand Cricket.
“Courage” is a word that immediately comes to mind as we remember New Zealand cricket’s most successful batsman, Martin David Crowe, who passed away at age 53.
From the early days when, as a 19-year-old, he underwent a baptism of fire against Australian fast-bowlers Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, to more recent times when he revealed his battle with lymphoma — the cricketer affectionately known as “Hogan” has marked himself out as a man of extraordinary skill and bravery.
Seventy-seven Tests, a New Zealand record 17 test centuries, 18 fifties, a highest score of 299 and an average of 45.36 — the statistics speak for themselves, yet they only tell part of the story.
“Martin was our greatest batsman; no contest,” said New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White. “But he was much more, besides that. He was a technician; a stylist, a tactician and a strategist. He was innovative and thoughtful and most of all, he showed great courage — both as a player, and as a former player.
“Everyone will have their favourite Martin Crowe innings; he played that many of them. For me, there were those three wonderful centuries he scored against Viv Richards’ West Indies, and an attack that included the most hostile fast-bowlers in the world: Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Courtney Walsh.
“And the other standout innings was the century he scored against Pakistan in Lahore, when he comfortably negated the pace bowling threats of both Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram.”
Statistics don’t tell of the influence Crowe had on some of New Zealand’s most famous series wins, either: against Australia in 1985 when he scored a fabulous 188 at Brisbane; and again against Australia in early 1986, when he struck that epic 137 at Lancaster Park.
That was the match in which Martin was hit in the jaw by Bruce Reid; was assisted from the field to receive ten stitches, and later returned to the fray to launch a blistering counter-attack. Twenty-nine runs came from three overs. He went to his century from 156 balls (18 fours) and kept attacking until he was last man out; caught in the deep.
Martin was a central figure in New Zealand’s historic series win in England later that year, scoring a century at Lord’s before steering his side to victory at Trent Bridge with an unbeaten 48 in the fourth innings.
During his heyday he was, arguably, without peer as an international batsman and at the 1992 Cricket World Cup — where he led New Zealand to the semi-finals, he was certainly so.
New Zealand Cricket board chairman Stuart Heal described Martin’s passing as tragic. “To lose him now, and at such a young age, is unbearably sad, and especially so for his loved ones and close friends.
“Our thoughts are with them all at this time.”
Mr Heal said it was fitting Martin’s favourite New Zealand player was Bert Sutcliffe – another enormously courageous New Zealand batsman. It was Sutcliffe who, in the 1953 Boxing Test against South Africa at Ellis Park, was struck in the head by a Neil Adcock bouncer; collapsed at the crease and again at the hospital, before returning to the ground to smash an unbeaten 80, including seven sixes.
“Martin really was our modern-day Sutcliffe,” said Mr Heal. “He was so graceful and so fearless – fathers took their sons to watch him play, hoping his excellence might rub off on them.”
There were few more magnificent sights in cricket than Crowe’s checked off-drive. As a cricketing shot, it spoke of everything: defence, attack, the ability to process multiple factors in a flashpoint of time, technique, balance. It was a muscle-twitch of a shot; a sub-conscious adjustment, and no-one in the world played it better than Crowe.
Not surprisingly for such a fine technician, he later became a role model for generations of up-and-coming New Zealand batsmen – including a few who are now part of the BLACKCAPS world cup squad.
This from current BLACKCAPS batsman Martin Guptill: “Not only was Martin a great sportsman but, more importantly, a great human. I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor and friend to help me through the last couple of years.”
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Martin Crowe’s funeral will be held next Friday March 11th at the Holy Trinity church in Parnell, Auckland.
A video tribute has been compiled on the NZ Cricket website – click here “Celebrating Martin Crowe”
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