Laid to rest: Emotional tributes pour in at Crowe’s funeral

Players and fans alike praise former New Zealand skipper who died on March 4

AUCKLAND: Cricketing greats honoured Martin Crowe at an emotional funeral for New Zealand’s greatest batsman on Friday, with his cousin, Hollywood star Russell Crowe, acting as a pallbearer.

About 1,000 mourners packed Auckland’s Holy Trinity Cathedral to remember Crowe, who died on March 4 aged 53 after a long battle with cancer.

The batsman’s brother Jeff, himself a former Black Caps captain, said the family had been touched by the outpouring of grief from across the cricketing world.



He was in Bangladesh on umpiring duties when Martin died and said there were heartfelt tributes from many involved in the game, including ‘a new Indian cricket generation’.

“It had never really dawned on me... what a huge splash he made, what a true inspiration he was,” Crowe senior told the service. “Wasim Akram reminded me just the other day that Martin was the greatest batsman he ever bowled to — no higher praise than that.”

Former teammates shared memories of a player who averaged 45.36 despite being plagued by injury in his 77-Test career, hitting 17 centuries — still a New Zealand record.



Ex-Black Caps wicketkeeper Ian Smith read out a message from Australian great Allan Border — Crowe’s fierce rival who became a close friend. “Cricket has lost one of its iconic players. He will be fondly remembered, greatly missed but never forgotten, a true champion,” said Border.



Smith said Crowe’s cricketing brain was unsurpassed, describing him as years ahead of his time in devising a shortened form of the game that paved way for T20s.

Smith added he saw Crowe in recent months ‘as things were shutting down’ due to the cancer that was first diagnosed in October 2012 and then returned in September 2014.

“I won’t remember him that way,” he said. “I’ll always see a great man at the crease. White helmet, silver fern on... playing the most perfect straight drive back past the bowler for four.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2016.

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