Indian Newslink Digital Edition Mar 15, 2016

32 SPORTLINK
March 15, 2016
Cricketer par excellence goes far away
Ravi Nyayapati
New Zealand’s greatest
ever batsman Martin
Crowe, diagnosed with
lymphoma in 2012,
succumbed to his illness on
March 3, 2016.
He was only 53 years old.
He stands out as one of the
all-time legends of the game
and, deservedly, was inducted
into the International Cricket
Council (ICC)Hall of Fame
during the Cricket World Cup
2015 at Eden Park in Auckland.
Despite the greatness of
the occasion, the induction
ceremony was sombre and
emotional, knowing that
Crowe was already battling
for his life.
Game Changer
Exceptional sports
persons can transform
games to new levels.
Crowe was one
such individual.
Martin Crowe: A batsman of his own class
Picture Courtesy: martincrowe.com
In the early 1990s, New
Zealand embarked on a new
standard of
batting set by
Crowe. The
1992 edition of the World Cup is
remembered for one thing – the
way Crowe, the Player of the
Tournament, batted and then
captained the team.
He was made a Member of
the Order of the British Empire
(MBE) in 1992.
At the tournament, his bold
move to give the new ball to off
spinner Dipak Patel and move
big-hitting Mark Greatbatch up
the order had commentators’
notes on conventional rules of
50-over cricket in a spin.
He eventually earned their
praise as the strategy paid
dividends.
The Great Defeat
Crowe’s heroic Blackcaps
dominated the tournament,
spearheaded by his batting
form,but was defeated by
Pakistan in the semi-finals in
Auckland.
He chose to bat first,
mustering 91 runs off 83 balls
to help New Zealand to finish
somewhat decently at 262/7.
Nursing an injured hamstring,
he chose to stay off the field
as Pakistan chased the target
successfully. Ironically, this
was the Blackcaps’ only loss of
the tournament. For over two
decades Crowe largely blamed
himself for the loss.
Crowe, also popularly
known as Hogan, was a
batsman whose technique was
downright elegant, oozing with
self-confidence, with a selection
of textbook cricketing shots to
choose from.
After a first class debut for
Auckland at age 17, Crowe made
early inroads into the national
side as a 19-year-old. He did this
as a complete batsman having
perfected every shot in the book.
He was an aggressive hitter but
his graceful technique concealed
his strike power. When he
finished his career he was New
Zealand’s highest run-getter
(299), highest century-maker
in tests (17) and scorer of over
10,000 international runs.
Chip of the old block
Cricket ran in his blood,
following the footsteps of his
father David Crowe, a first class
cricketer, and his brother, Jeff
Crowe, an ex-Blackcap and
current ICC Match Referee.
Sporting his trademark
headband, he was an iconic
figure in New Zealand’s spirited
performances through the 1980s
that formed part of one of the
most successful Blackcaps sides
in history.
He possessed an innate game
sense. His signature stroke
was the one straight down the
ground past the bowler, but was
capable of shots all around the
wicket.
The early recognition of his
immense talent was revealed by
his appointment as a 21-yearold
for English County club
Somerset, as a replacement for
the great Sir Vivian Richards. It
showed the high class of cricket
to which Crowe belonged.
Great Mentor
He remained a mentor for the
next generation of New Zealand
Cricketers.
He resurrected the career
of Martin Guptill at a crucial
juncture – Guptill’s second
coming has been a direct result
of Crowe’s involvement and
guidance.
Ross Taylor’s class, in his
own admission, is also a result
of the influence Crowe has
had in Taylor’s technique and
temperament.
Crowe’s ingenuity and imagination
extended beyond the
standard game. He introduced
an innovative form of cricket
called Cricket Max, a 20-over
format two decades ago.
India’s tour of New Zealand in
2002 featured an International
Cricket Max game between the
two teams. This was to be one
of the last Max 20 games after
Crowe failed to garner global
support for the game.
A year later, the Twenty/20
format debuted in England.
Seeing where T20 is today, we
owe it to Crowe for the forward
thinking he had at his prime.
Rest In Peace Hogan.
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