Martin David Crowe
Martin David Crowe (22 September 1962 3 March 2016) was a New Zealand cricket player and commentator. He played for the New Zealand national cricket team between 1982 and 1995, and is regarded as the country’s greatest batsman.
Crowe made his first-class debut for Auckland at the age of 17, and his Test debut for New Zealand at the age of 19. He was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1985, and was credited as one of the “best young batsmen in the world”. Crowe was appointed New Zealand’s captain in 1990, and led the team until 1993. In a Test against Sri Lanka in 1991, he scored 299 runs, breaking the record for the highest score by a New Zealander. In the same match, he also set a new record for the highest partnership in Test cricket, putting on 467 runs with Andrew Jones. At the 1992 World Cup, which New Zealand co-hosted with Australia, Crowe was named the player of the tournament, and led his team to a semi-final. By the time he finished his international career in 1995, he held the records for the most Test and One Day International (ODI) runs scored for New Zealand.
After retiring from playing, Crowe remained involved in cricket as a writer and commentator. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012, but was declared cancer-free the following year. However, the disease returned in 2014, and eventually led to his death in 2016.
Early life:
Crowe was born in Henderson, a suburb of Auckland, to a family of cricketers. His father, Dave Crowe, played first-class cricket for Canterbury and Wellington and his older brother, Jeff Crowe, played Test cricket. One of the brothers’ first cousins is actor Russell Crowe. In 1968, Martin Crowe joined his father and brother at the Cornwall Cricket Club, with which he maintained a lifelong connection. At Auckland Grammar School, which he attended from 1976 to 1980, he was deputy head boy in his final year. He captained the school’s cricket team, and also played rugby union, as a wing.
Personal life:
In 1991, Crowe married Simone Curtice, an interior designer. They separated five years later, in 1996, and Crowe later entered into a relationship with Suzanne Taylor, with whom he had one daughter.He and Taylor separated in 2005.In 2009, Crowe married for a second time, to Lorraine Downes, a former Miss Universe. They remained married until his death.
Career statistics:
Test
Matches: 77
Runs scored: 5444
100s/50s: 17/18
Top score: 299
ODI
Matches: 143
Runs scored: 4704
100s/50s: 4/34
Top score: 107*
