Former New Zealand skipper Martin Crowe passes away at 53

Former New Zealand skipper Martin Crowe passed away at Auckland in the afternoon of March 3rd at his residence in Auckland. Crowe had been diagnosed with lymphoma in early 2014.

“It is with heavy hearts that the family of Martin Crowe, MBE advise his death,” his family said in a statement.

“Diagnosed in September 2014 with terminal double hit lymphoma he passed away peacefully today, Thursday 3rd March in Auckland surrounded by family.

“The family request privacy at this time.”

Martin Crowe boasted of being perhaps the finest batsmen to have been produced by New Zealand. He made his debut against Australia at the age of 19 in 1982 and showed the world his flawless technique.

Crowe however, will be remembered for his exploits in the 1992 World Cup. While he showcased his batting skills once more, Crowe’s imaginative captaincy came to the fore when he opened the bowling with off-spinner Dipak Patel.

“Martin Crowe was an imaginative leader who maximized his team’s potential and resources by thoughtful captaincy and out-of-the-box tactics to flummox oppositions. He used the local conditions brilliantly and made the opposition think and admit to New Zealand’s presence in the 1992 World Cup. His famous trick was Dipak Patel with the new ball, which turned out to be a master stroke, a move that was tailor-made to extract advantage out of New Zealand pitches and it stunned the opposition with a bit of drama as well. The off-spinner showed great control with the new ball and bowled an aggressive line to pick up wickets.” – Rameez Raja

Crowe was awarded the Member of British Empire (MBE) in the Queen’s birthday celebrations in the year 1992 for his contribution to cricket.

His comeback to domestic cricket was emotionally cut short when he was diagnosed with lymphoma in the fall of 2012. Although he recovered from the disease, a recurrence in 2014 saw him with only 5% chances of survival. Such was his love for cricket that his only dying wish was to see the World Cup 2015. He was inducted into the ICC Hall of fame during the mid-innings interval at Eden Park, Auckland.

Crowe is survived by his second wife Lorraine Downes, daughter Emma and step-children Hilton and Jasmine. Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.