Martin Crowe facts for kids
Crowe batting in a charity game in 2011
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name |
Martin David Crowe
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| Born | 22 September 1962 Henderson, New Zealand |
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| Died | 3 March 2016 (aged 53) Auckland, New Zealand |
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| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Middle-order batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Lorraine Downes (wife) Dave Crowe (father) Jeff Crowe (brother) Russell Crowe (cousin) Francis Jervis (great-grandfather) |
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| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 150) | 26 February 1982 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 12 November 1995 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 40) | 13 February 1982 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 26 November 1995 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979/80–1982/83 | Auckland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983/84–1989/90 | Central Districts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1988 | Somerset | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990/91–1994/95 | Wellington | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 30 May 2009
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Martin David Crowe (22 September 1962 – 3 March 2016) was a famous New Zealand cricket player. He was known as one of the country's best ever batsmen. Martin also captained the New Zealand national cricket team in both Test and One Day International (ODI) matches. He played for New Zealand from 1982 to 1995.
Crowe started playing first-class cricket for Auckland when he was just 17. He made his first Test appearance for New Zealand at 19. In 1985, he was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. This award recognized him as one of the "best young batsmen in the world".
He became New Zealand's captain in 1990 and led the team until 1993. In 1991, he scored an amazing 299 runs in a Test match against Sri Lanka. This set a new record for the highest score by a New Zealander. In the same game, he and Andrew Jones made a huge partnership of 467 runs. This was a new record for Test cricket at the time.
At the 1992 Cricket World Cup, which New Zealand hosted with Australia, Crowe was named the best player of the tournament. He led his team to the semi-finals. When he retired in 1995, he held the records for the most Test and One Day International (ODI) runs for New Zealand.
After he stopped playing, Crowe worked as a cricket writer and commentator. He was diagnosed with lymphoma (a type of cancer) in 2012. He was declared cancer-free in 2013, but the disease returned in 2014. Martin Crowe passed away in 2016. He also helped create the idea for the ICC World Test Championship, which started in 2019.
Early Life and Family Connections
Martin Crowe was born in Henderson, a suburb of Auckland. He grew up in a family that loved cricket. His father, Dave Crowe, played first-class cricket. His older brother, Jeff Crowe, also played Test cricket for New Zealand. A famous cousin of the brothers is actor Russell Crowe.
In 1968, Martin joined his father and brother at the Cornwall Cricket Club. He stayed connected to this club throughout his life. He went to Auckland Grammar School from 1976 to 1980. He was the deputy head boy in his last year. He captained the school's cricket team and also played rugby union. His great-grandfather, Francis Jervis, was a famous All Black rugby player.
Playing Cricket for Clubs
Starting His First-Class Career
Crowe played his first first-class match in January 1980 for Auckland. He was only 17 years old. In his first game, he scored 51 runs, which was the highest for his team. In 1981, he was named New Zealand's Young Cricketer of the Year. He then spent six months working at Lord's cricket ground in England. He also played for the Marylebone Cricket Club there.
When he came back to New Zealand for the 1981–82 season, he scored his first first-class century. He made 150 runs against Canterbury. After the 1982–83 season, Crowe moved to play for Central Districts. His international duties meant he didn't play many games for them. However, in 32 matches, he averaged 68.72 runs and scored 13 centuries. His highest score for Central Districts was 242 runs in January 1990. After that season, he moved to play for Wellington for five seasons.
Playing in England
In 1984, Crowe joined Somerset to play in England. He did very well in his first season, scoring lots of runs. He returned to Somerset in 1987 and had another great season. He was one of the top run-scorers in the County Championship. In a one-day game against Hampshire, he scored an amazing 155 runs without being out. This was his highest score in a one-day match. He played one more season for Somerset in 1988. Overall, he had a great batting average of 59.46 for Somerset.
International Cricket Journey
Early Days and First Records
Martin Crowe made his international debut for New Zealand in February 1982. This was an ODI game against Australia in Auckland. He then played his first Test match against Australia later that month. He was one of the youngest New Zealanders to make his Test debut.
At the 1983 Cricket World Cup in England, Crowe played in all six of New Zealand's matches. He scored 97 runs in the first game against England. In January 1984, he scored his first Test century, exactly 100 runs, against England.
In 1985, Crowe scored 188 runs twice. The first was during a tour of the West Indies, where he batted for over nine hours. The second was in Australia, in a match famous for Richard Hadlee taking 15 wickets. In 1987, Crowe and John Wright set a new record for New Zealand. They put on 241 runs together for the third wicket against the West Indies. Later that year, Crowe was New Zealand's top run-scorer at the 1987 Cricket World Cup in India.
Leading the Team and World Cup Glory
Crowe became the captain of New Zealand in October 1990 for a tour of Pakistan. In early 1991, when Sri Lanka visited, Crowe had an incredible performance. In the first Test match in Wellington, he scored 299 runs in one innings. This broke the record for the highest score by a New Zealander. He batted for over ten hours, hitting 29 fours and three sixes. He and Andrew Jones (who scored 186) made a record-breaking partnership of 467 runs. This was the highest partnership ever in Test cricket at the time.
At the 1992 Cricket World Cup, which New Zealand co-hosted, Crowe was the top run-scorer with 456 runs. He was named the player of the tournament. A highlight was his 100 runs not out in the opening match against Australia, which New Zealand won. New Zealand topped their group, losing only one game to Pakistan. They then played Pakistan again in the semi-final. Crowe scored 91 runs to help his team reach 262 runs. However, he had to leave the field due to a hamstring injury. Pakistan went on to win the match. Crowe later felt that his injury and not being on the field contributed to the loss.
Crowe's last series as captain was against Australia in 1993. He had been struggling with injuries. Ken Rutherford took over as captain so Crowe could focus on his batting. Crowe captained New Zealand in 16 Tests, winning two. He had a better record in ODIs, winning 21 out of 44 matches. He was known for being an innovative and proactive leader. He used new tactics, like having a spinner open the bowling at the 1992 World Cup.
Final Years and Retirement
After giving up the captaincy, Crowe continued to play well. In a 1994 tour of England, he scored two centuries in a row. He made 142 runs at Lord's and 115 runs at Old Trafford. He played for several more seasons, retiring after a tour of India in 1995. He scored his last international century in the first ODI of that tour, at age 33.
Crowe finished his career with 5,444 Test runs and 4,704 ODI runs. Both were New Zealand records at the time. He also held the record for the most Test centuries by a New Zealander, with 17. He scored a century against every Test-playing team except South Africa.
In 1992, Crowe was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to cricket. On 28 February 2015, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. This special ceremony happened during the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
International Centuries
Martin Crowe scored 21 centuries (scores of 100 runs or more) in international cricket. He made 17 centuries in Test matches and 4 in One Day Internationals.
His first Test century was 100 runs against England in January 1984. His last Test century was 115 runs, also against England, in June 1994. He played 77 Test matches in total. His highest Test score was 299 runs against Sri Lanka in January 1991.
His first ODI century was 105 runs not out against England in February 1984. His last ODI century was 107 runs not out against India in November 1995. This was his highest score in ODIs. He played 143 ODI matches in total.
| No. | Score | Opponent | Venue | Date | Ref |
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| 1 | 100 |  England |
Basin Reserve, Wellington | 20 January 1984 | |
| 2 | 188 |  West Indies |
Bourda, Georgetown | 6 April 1985 | |
| 3 | 188 |  Australia |
The Gabba, Brisbane | 8 November 1985 | |
| 4 | 137 | Australia |
Lancaster Park, Christchurch | 28 February 1986 | |
| 5 | 106 | England |
Lord's, London | 24 July 1986 | |
| 6 | 119 | West Indies |
Basin Reserve, Wellington | 20 February 1987 | |
| 7 | 104 | West Indies |
Eden Park, Auckland | 27 February 1987 | |
| 8 | 137 | Australia |
Adelaide Oval | 11 December 1987 | |
| 9 | 143 | England |
Basin Reserve, Wellington | 3 March 1988 | |
| 10 | 174 |  Pakistan |
Basin Reserve, Wellington | 10 February 1989 | |
| 11 | 113 |  India |
Eden Park, Auckland | 22 February 1990 | |
| 12 | 108 not out | Pakistan |
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | 18 October 1990 | |
| 13 | 299 |  Sri Lanka |
Basin Reserve, Wellington | 31 January 1991 | |
| 14 | 140 |  Zimbabwe |
Harare Sports Club | 7 November 1992 | |
| 15 | 107 | Sri Lanka |
Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo | 6 December 1992 | |
| 16 | 142 | England |
Lord's, London | 16 June 1994 | |
| 17 | 115 | England |
Old Trafford, Manchester | 30 June 1994 |
| No. | Score | Opponent | Venue | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 105 not out | England |
Eden Park, Auckland | 25 February 1984 | |
| 2 | 104 | India |
Carisbrook, Dunedin | 1 March 1990 | |
| 3 | 100 not out | Australia |
Eden Park, Auckland | 22 February 1992 | |
| 4 | 107 not out | India |
Keenan Stadium, Jamshedpur | 15 November 1995 |
Life After Cricket
Coaching and Mentoring
After retiring from playing, Martin Crowe stayed involved in cricket. He helped create a new, faster version of cricket called "Cricket Max". He also became a television commentator and expert. He was part of the management team for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, a team in the Indian Premier League.
Crowe also mentored young New Zealand batsmen like Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, and Kane Williamson. In 2014, he predicted that Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Joe Root would become the "Fab Four" of Test cricket.
Attempted Comeback
In 2011, Crowe shared on Twitter that he wanted to play first-class cricket again. He was only three matches away from reaching 250 first-class games. He also wanted to score 392 more runs to reach 20,000 first-class runs.
To try and achieve this, Crowe played club cricket at age 49. He captained the Cornwall reserve grade team in Auckland. This was the same club where his father played.
Illness and Passing
On 15 October 2012, it was announced that Martin Crowe had been diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of cancer. He believed the illness was due to his immune system being weakened by sicknesses he caught while touring India in the 1980s and 1990s.
In June 2013, Crowe announced that he was free of cancer. However, in 2014, the lymphoma returned. He sadly passed away from complications of the disease in Auckland on 3 March 2016. His funeral was held in Auckland.
Playing Style and Legacy
Martin Crowe was known as one of New Zealand's greatest cricketers. He was also considered one of the most elegant batsmen in the world. He was described as "upright, orthodox and immensely strong" when batting. People praised his quick and graceful footwork and perfect head position. Even though he was a big man, his batting looked very smooth and elegant.
Crowe believed that instinct was very important in batting. He thought players should not plan their shots too much beforehand.
Early in his career, Crowe also bowled sometimes. He was an "outstanding" fielder. In the 1987 World Cup, he made an amazing diving catch to dismiss David Houghton. This catch was said to have helped New Zealand win the game.
As a captain, Crowe was famous for his new and creative ideas. For example, at the 1992 World Cup, he surprised everyone by having a spinner, Dipak Patel, open the bowling. He had detailed plans for bowling and fielding. He often changed his bowlers and field positions to put pressure on the other team's batsmen. Former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja called Crowe "an imaginative leader". He said Crowe helped his team play their best with smart captaincy and "out-of-the-box tactics".
Personal Life
In 1991, Martin Crowe married Simone Curtice. They separated in 1996. Later, he had a daughter with Suzanne Taylor. They separated in 2005. In 2009, Crowe married for a third time to Lorraine Downes, a former Miss Universe. They were married until his death.
