Despite Martin Crowe’s death, brother Jeff officiates in India vs UAE Asia Cup T20 encounter

Though Jeff is four years older to Martin, he made his Test debut a week after his prodigious younger brother; both brothers led New Zealand, in both Tests and ODIs, including World Cups.

While Martin Crowe’s death earlier the day had left cricket fraternity in grief, his elder brother Jeff, the celebrated match referee, took field in the India vs UAE encounter in Asia Cup T20, 2016, at Shere Bangla Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka. Though Jeff is four years older to Martin, he made his Test debut a week after his prodigious younger brother; both brothers led New Zealand, in both Tests and One-Day Internationals (ODIs), including World Cups. The fact that Jeff did not pull out of the tournament was a tremendous display of character on his part, and represents the mettle the Crowes, something that was instilled in them by their father David, who had represented both Canterbury and Wellington. READ: O Martin, my Martin Crowe, long ago…

Martin and Jeff often batted together in international cricket. Since coloured clothing with written names on them were a concept of the future, they often played pranks on the audience. The fact that they were similar in appearance when clad in helmets came to their advantage. Sometimes, when the audience managed to figure out which was which, they even exchanged helmets mid-innings to take the joke to the next level.

Jeff Crowe was never the batsman Martin was, but the fact that he chose to stick to his job instead of rushing to be reflects the steely side of his character, more so because he and Martin have grown up and played cricket together in their formative years. One of the most respected referees in international cricket, Jeff Crowe has officiated in 366 international matches, third-most in the world, behind only Ranjan Madugalle (542) and Chris Broad (408).

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