“My precarious life ahead may not afford me the luxury of many more games to watch and enjoy. So this is likely to be it.” were the words of cricketer Martin Crowe prior to the 2015 ICC World Cup final played between Australia and New Zealand.
Sadly for the Kiwis and for anyone associated with cricket in general; Crowe’s words rang true. His life did not afford him the luxury to watch and enjoy many more games. Aged 53, he passed away on 3rd March 2016; 25 days before the one-year anniversary of the 2015 World Cup final - a match which was very close to his heart.
Speaking about the match back then, he had said, “Without question, this will be the personal cricketing highlight of my life, and I sense for New Zealand too”. This, coming from a man who had himself played in 77 tests and 143 ODIs for New Zealand speak volumes about his love for New Zealand cricket.
Crowe’s career was beyond numbers
In those 77 tests, he scored more than 5000 runs at an average of just over 45 and in ODIs he scored close to 5000 runs at an average of 38.55. These numbers, although impressive; may not find a place in a list of batsmen with best averages or a list of the highest run-getters. But don’t get fooled by these mere statistics. For, numbers are for the statistician; cricket is for the romantic.
And Crowe was a true romantic of the game. Arguably the best batsman to have ever played the game for the Black Caps, he loved to take chances. Famous cricket writer late Peter Roebuck once wrote that Crowe would “soar like an eagle” at the crease.
A Trailblazer
He was also a great strategist of the game and a trailblazer in every sense. Much before pinch-hitting became a norm in One Day cricket, Crowe had promoted big-hitting batsman Mark Greatbatch to open the batting in the 1992 World Cup with reasonable success. Another of his tactical master-class in the 1992 World Cup was to open the bowling with off-spinner Deepak Patel, a practice which was unheard off during the early 1990s.
It was the result of his innovative captaincy that New Zealand reached the semi-finals of the 1992 World Cup which they lost to eventual winners Pakistan. He was also the highest run-getter in that World Cup and won the man of the series award for his brilliant performance.
Like a true patriot of the game of cricket, he continued his quest for making the game of cricket more entertaining even after his retirement in 1995. In 1996, he came with a new form of cricket called Cricket Max; which was a 10 8 ball-overs per side contest. Though the format is now defunct, it can be said that his idea was indeed revolutionary then and we now have the T20s which concur to Crowe’s Cricket Max in principle.
“Someone wake me when it’s done”
In his last column for Cricinfo in May 2015, he had mentioned that he was saddened by the negativity in cricket these days and how we needed to restore cricket’s lost integrity. His parting words in that final column were “Someone wake me when it’s done. I’m done on this hate stuff”.
And with these words he ended his battle with cancer and slipped into the deepest of slumbers. I sincerely wish that some day cricket will indeed be done with this hate stuff. Till then, Martin David Crowe will take a nap in heaven with the hope that we will wake him up one day.
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