Published: Mar 04, 2016, 02:06 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 04, 2016, 02:06 AM (IST)
Mirpur: Wearing black armbands, India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) players observed a minute’s silence before the start of their Asia Cup match in memory of former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe, who passed away today after a long battle with cancer. The Indian players wore wearing black armbands as a mark of respect. The most moving sight was that of Martin’s elder brother and former New Zealand Test player Jeff Crowe, who decided to continue as the ICC match referee for the tournament before leaving for home. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs UAE, Asia Cup T20 2016, Match 9 at Dhaka.
A lot of Indian players were seen offering their condolences to Jeff and personally went to have a chat with him. The entire cricketing community paid tribute to the departed soul and it was no different here as Pakistan legend Waqar Younis recollected his on-field rivalry with the New Zealand great. Diagnosed in September 2014 with terminal double-hit lymphoma, a rare form of blood cancer, he passed away in Auckland surrounded by family.
Crowe enjoyed a 13-year international career from 1982-95, including four years as captain. He had a Test average of 45.36 in 77 matches and held a slew of New Zealand batting records when he retired, including most Test runs (5,444), highest Test score (299), most 50s (35) and most hundreds (17) — the last of which still stands. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has expressed its sadness at the passing of ICC Cricket Hall of Famer and former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe, who died today aged 53. In a statement, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said Crowe was a true legend of the game who had earned the admiration and respect of millions of cricket fans across the globe with his stylish stroke-play and strong-minded determination.
