centurymaker
Cricketer Of The Year
Less than 1%
Him making the auckland side is kinda unlikely too imo. 1/3
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Martin Crowe has Mid Life Crisis (and may well pull it off)
- Thread starter Flem274*
- Start date
- Status
Him making the auckland side is kinda unlikely too imo. 1/3
Seen him in the nets, it ain't happening people. He looks okay and plays the occasional great shot, but he's a) not to a FC standard any more b) is going to get injured somewhere along the way c) can't run
Odds of playing for Auckland are 10,000 to 1 at least, NZ 1,000,000,000 to 1. And I'm happy to take a book on it
Odds of playing for Auckland are 10,000 to 1 at least, NZ 1,000,000,000 to 1. And I'm happy to take a book on it
Spikey
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NUFAN
Y no Afghanistan flag
I'll put $1 on him playing for Auckland. Please send me your bank details, PIN etc.
wellAlbidarned
International Coach
I'll take those odds on too. $3 on him playing for Aucks.
vic_orthdox
Global Moderator
If all the pitches are that green...
Done on the $1 and $3 bets. Together, that buys me a coffee. Easy money.
And he managed to have a whinge about the club wickets as well. Surprised they didn't fly in the world's best groundsmen for Sir Martin's return.
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
To be fair it doesn't look like an ideal wicket in that image by any stretch of the imagination. I play Z grade and if the pitches were that green every week even at my level there'd be complaints.
HeathDavisSpeed
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
He should have played on the wicket I was on yesterday. Ankle length grass in the outfield, ball either not bouncing or tennis ball bounce. Batsmen had no chance. Extras contributed 50 out of a total 140 runs scored in the game.
Hurricane
Hall of Fame Member
Where did you play Heath? We played at TeWhiti on an artificial - the outfield was so slow - that shots that 4 written all over them went for a single.
Flem274*
123/5
No cricket on at the ground closest to me, and it's starting to rain.
NUFAN
Y no Afghanistan flag
Cool. Of course you are going to have to wait a few years before potentially getting that free coffee cause it could still happen at any time.
Just send me your bank details and I'll put a dollar in.
HeathDavisSpeed
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Walked past you guys twice then. I was on Te Whiti 3. Would rather have been on an arty than grass yesterday.
Hurricane
Hall of Fame Member
One end of the art. pitch was popping. And this year our grade has been downgraded to two piece balls so the 2nd change bowlers were getting swing in the 30th over of the game.
So I would have preferred to have been on a grass wicket with a 4 piece.
A total of 200 runs in our game though - so perhaps our pitch was easier to bat on than yours. We also had 50 odd wides in total.
So I would have preferred to have been on a grass wicket with a 4 piece.
A total of 200 runs in our game though - so perhaps our pitch was easier to bat on than yours. We also had 50 odd wides in total.
Zinzan
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NZ herald story...
Cricket: Crowds turn out for Crowe - Cricket - NZ Herald News
Cricket: Crowds turn out for Crowe
By Andrew Alderson
5:30 AM Sunday Nov 6, 2011
With the fall of the Cornwall reserve grade XI's first wicket at 75, 49-year-old Martin David Crowe strode on to the Papatoetoe Recreation Ground at 5.30pm to begin his quest to play first-class cricket after a 16-year absence.
It is an outlandish premise but one which has captivated cricket fans across the country and the world.
Dozens assembled for the occasion in the Papatoetoe clubrooms hoping to rekindle memories of arguably New Zealand's greatest batsman making test centuries as far afield as Lord's, the 'Gabba and Bourda. To get a chance to watch such skills again was to be experienced in person.
Crowe finished the day 15 not out as part of his team's 113 for one, a lead of four over Papatoetoe. However, he was disappointed with what unfolded.
It wasn't his batting. His perfect stance and MCC textbook stroke-making were still evident even if they seem retro in the modern game. Such a technique comfortably accounted for the opposition attack, albeit with a couple of dropped catches; it was more the standard of the pitch and the excessive appealing.
"I have never experienced an hour's batting like that in my life; it's the slowest, deadest pitch I've played on. It's not what cricket's about as far as I'm concerned. That [block] needs to be dug up. It is shocking. It does nothing for any young kid playing. I hope that's an exception to the rule. They're better off not even cutting it. It didn't have a heartbeat for the poor bowlers.
"I don't mind it zipping around like when I played on doctored green tops for [Richard] Hadlee at Trent Bridge and Lancaster Park - but that's a great challenge when the ball's bouncing round your ankles. There's been slightly more action in Bulawayo.
"Then there's the behaviour - appealing for everything. It's worse than anything I've experienced in Asia. I told them I was disappointed. Carry on like that and you don't deserve decisions to go in your favour because you've got no respect for the game." Crowe put in a plea to be promoted to premier level as soon as possible to get a better standard of play and pitches: "It's up to the coach [Rex Smith]. He's decided not to play me so I'm going to bat as long as I can to get runs. I just feel I came back because I wanted the challenge of premier cricket. I got through things today and I'm not injured."
It was vintage Crowe as tension mounted initially ahead of the toss. He was mobbed by well-wishers as he headed out for a pitch inspection dressed in an immaculate long-sleeved cream sweater, flannels a tailor would be proud of and a Cornwall cap signifying his affiliation with that club since 1968.
A cardboard coffee cup warmed the skipper's hands as he allowed eager team-mates to remove the covers after a squall of westerly-driven rain delayed play for half an hour until 11.30am. The green baize-like strip glowing underneath left him in no doubt what to do if he won the toss. Unfortunately for the crowd that meant Cornwall fielded first when the coin fell in his favour.
Papatoetoe reserve grade were dismissed for 109, with Crowe setting attacking fields throughout. He stood at first slip, a position he had a mortgage on for the entire innings. Apart from the odd adjustment of what looked like a right knee support underneath the strides and a sometimes tentative running gait he looked in good shape. Papatoetoe had plenty of opportunities to score with a fairly open leg side in the early stanzas but Cornwall's bowling, notably through Oliver Pringle (three for 37) kept Crowe's aggressive fields relevant.
Cornwall batted not long after lunch. Again Crowe was blessed with an intuitive sense of PR as cameras were thrust in his direction, adding a surreal element to the reserve grade XI contest. Crowe donned his gear and a traditional bandana and warmed-up with a few practice shots. The cameras lapped it up as he showed the maker's name, a Gunn and Moore "Flare" to be specific. There must be a cheque in the mail for such golden publicity.
However, for most it was a chance to relive the past - injury and satisfaction permitting, it will continue over summer at a local ground near you.
Also interesting interview about his career
Cricket: A legend goes back to the basics - Sport - NZ Herald News
Cricket: A legend goes back to the basics
By Chris Rattue and Dylan Cleaver
5:30 AM Saturday Nov 5, 2011
The 49-year-old Martin Crowe, one of the world's best batsmen during his 77-test career, returns to cricket action today for his beloved Cornwall club.
Sixteen years after his final international appearance in a brilliant but injury-affected career, Crowe - now executive producer for Sky's Rugby Channel - will don the whites as captain of the Cornwall premier reserves at Papatoetoe when the two-day club competition starts.
While his love of the game and a desire to tame middle age spread have helped persuade Crowe to embark on a unique comeback, the competitive fires still burn brightly. His ultimate aim is a place in Auckland's Plunket Shield side although he admits his chances are not high. Injuries have come easily, and he will need exceptional numbers to replace a representative up-and-comer.
But Crowe was a truly exceptional cricketer and almost certainly our finest batsman, so nothing is impossible. He chats with the Herald about his return to the crease, his career, old team mates and opponents, commentary and the state of cricket.
Tell us about the comeback.
I'm doing it for my well being, health and fitness. But once I get a bat in the hands - it was the thing I was born to do. I finished on a bit of a negative - Glenn Turner didn't want me [in the New Zealand side] and the injured knee was screaming at me. This is my way of getting back to the purity of the game ... and taking out my frustrations with how it has been run. And to bat and move between the wickets is a joy. When I finished playing, I was hobbling. At 40, I couldn't walk at all and had to have an operation which meant my right tibia was sawn off below the knee and moved 10 degrees to the left. Today I can run which is due to the op, but mainly the desire to play again. It means I can run around the park with my daughter ... it's a freedom I never thought I could experience again.
Are the instincts and reactions still there?
I've been tested by the same guy who tested me in 1992 and my eyesight is 20 per cent better now and so is my balance. The brain picks up the ball and tells the body what to do, the trouble being the body was 10kg heavier and didn't want to do it. That was the challenge. The oxymoron is that I can't see two feet in front of me - I need glasses to read or write. Footwork is the engine room of batting and that comes back although I haven't been up against 140km/h bowling.
What has been your preparation?
I've had 20 hours in the nets ... I tried a personal trainer but flagged that, it was just too much for a 49-year-old. Cornwall had a boot camp and I tore a hamstring there. This is a mental challenge and I'm intrigued.
Are there any Cornwall teammates left from the past?
Rex Smith is still the coach all these years later - he's got Graham Henry-like numbers. The players are all aged 20 to 25 - they have been great. It was pouring with rain at practice this week and they tore about playing rugby whereas I put the kettle on.
There can't be many reserve grade club cricketers in the world with more than 5000 test runs and 17 centuries ...
I'm disappointed not starting in the premiers, but that is down to the injuries. Going back to Cornwall has been wonderful - I started there in 1968. I got the love of the game from my father and his ashes are spread there; there is also a plaque on a bench for him. Playing for Auckland might not be a realistic dream but I'm not mucking about with this. The currency I've always dealt in is 100s. Another goal is to play for the MCC who meet the English county champions in Abu Dhabi before each season.
You are sorely missed in the TV commentary box - any chance of a full return?
No. I'm married (to Lorraine Downes), with an eight-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old stepdaughter and I don't want a life on the road any more. I knew it was time to step down when Ian Smith challenged me saying I could not do commentary while coaching some of the New Zealand players [including Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott and Tim McIntosh]. There were the other issues but that was the final one.
A quick look back ... do you have a favourite innings?
A couple - scoring a century at Lords in '94 on one leg, after coming back from injury in '93. I cherished Lords and my father always talked about the place ... it wasn't against a great attack and there was nothing special about the innings but it was incredibly emotional. Scoring three centuries against the West Indies won me a certain amount of respect.
The scariest fast bowler ...
My debut was against Thommo (Aussie Jeff Thomson). I was just out of school and Thommo kept hitting me, Bruce Laird kept handing my helmet back, and Rodney Marsh kept telling me how noisy it was when a cricket ball hit a helmet. I didn't want to be there. I got the bat on one to where there were no fielders in front of the wicket, I ran to the other end and Geoff Howarth hadn't moved. Thommo ran me out. I thought if this is test cricket Mr Howarth you can stick it - we never saw eye to eye from that point on.
Speaking of fast bowlers, what about the great man, Richard Hadlee?
Some players such as John Bracewell never warmed to him but I certainly did. Bracewell called us a dysfunctional family but that New Zealand team was proud, edgy, hungry, had the bit between the teeth, and we were led by a mighty champion. Richard Hadlee was a class act. He was the number one bowler in the world for eight years running and a terrific batsman ... there was an incredible emptiness in the New Zealand side with him gone.
What's the best advice you ever received?
Whenever I knew there was a great player in the ground, I would seek their advice. Sunil Gavaskar taught me about head position, Bert Sutcliffe about the grip, Greg Chappell foot movement, Viv Richards courage ...
Scary man, Viv Richards ...
At Port of Spain, on his first day as captain of the West Indies, he comes up to me at the tea break and says 'what the f*** are you doing here, you need to f*** off.' The All Blacks had just announced they were off to South Africa and he was so anti-apartheid he was just bursting with rage. He was fearless and stood up for what he believed in.
Is there anything you would change in cricket?
I hate the term Black Caps and get sick of all our national teams having variations on that (All Black theme). I'm not a Black Cap - I'm a New Zealand cricketer. We're the only national cricket team with a name like that. It makes us sound like just another franchise and there are so many of them. Without getting too deep, it might affect our players on a subconscious level.
The big one - what's the state of New Zealand cricket?
I loved representing my country but the administration has struggled apart from the Chris Doig era. He was robust, innovative, a go-getter, a very powerful presence. I don't have a lot of positive things to say at the moment so I don't want to dwell on that. Our former batsmen such as Bruce Edgar, John Wright and Andrew Jones weren't necessarily pretty to watch, but they were self-sufficient and effective. What you see now is a lot of cloned batsmen and under pressure they struggle to respond. I'm most worried about the bowling, though. We are being left behind a breakaway of the top test nations. Test cricket is where the game is at and it produces the quality players for the other forms. From December to February we have 80 consecutive days with no first class cricket which sends a message it isn't important any more.
On a positive note ...?
I believe we have a good captain in Ross Taylor and he can lead the side for the next seven or eight years. Hopefully we can find a good CEO. The emphasis has to be on the domestic first class competition. We need a parochial competition that produces cricketers with the desperation to win.
Cricket: Crowds turn out for Crowe - Cricket - NZ Herald News
Cricket: Crowds turn out for Crowe
By Andrew Alderson
5:30 AM Sunday Nov 6, 2011
With the fall of the Cornwall reserve grade XI's first wicket at 75, 49-year-old Martin David Crowe strode on to the Papatoetoe Recreation Ground at 5.30pm to begin his quest to play first-class cricket after a 16-year absence.
It is an outlandish premise but one which has captivated cricket fans across the country and the world.
Dozens assembled for the occasion in the Papatoetoe clubrooms hoping to rekindle memories of arguably New Zealand's greatest batsman making test centuries as far afield as Lord's, the 'Gabba and Bourda. To get a chance to watch such skills again was to be experienced in person.
Crowe finished the day 15 not out as part of his team's 113 for one, a lead of four over Papatoetoe. However, he was disappointed with what unfolded.
It wasn't his batting. His perfect stance and MCC textbook stroke-making were still evident even if they seem retro in the modern game. Such a technique comfortably accounted for the opposition attack, albeit with a couple of dropped catches; it was more the standard of the pitch and the excessive appealing.
"I have never experienced an hour's batting like that in my life; it's the slowest, deadest pitch I've played on. It's not what cricket's about as far as I'm concerned. That [block] needs to be dug up. It is shocking. It does nothing for any young kid playing. I hope that's an exception to the rule. They're better off not even cutting it. It didn't have a heartbeat for the poor bowlers.
"I don't mind it zipping around like when I played on doctored green tops for [Richard] Hadlee at Trent Bridge and Lancaster Park - but that's a great challenge when the ball's bouncing round your ankles. There's been slightly more action in Bulawayo.
"Then there's the behaviour - appealing for everything. It's worse than anything I've experienced in Asia. I told them I was disappointed. Carry on like that and you don't deserve decisions to go in your favour because you've got no respect for the game." Crowe put in a plea to be promoted to premier level as soon as possible to get a better standard of play and pitches: "It's up to the coach [Rex Smith]. He's decided not to play me so I'm going to bat as long as I can to get runs. I just feel I came back because I wanted the challenge of premier cricket. I got through things today and I'm not injured."
It was vintage Crowe as tension mounted initially ahead of the toss. He was mobbed by well-wishers as he headed out for a pitch inspection dressed in an immaculate long-sleeved cream sweater, flannels a tailor would be proud of and a Cornwall cap signifying his affiliation with that club since 1968.
A cardboard coffee cup warmed the skipper's hands as he allowed eager team-mates to remove the covers after a squall of westerly-driven rain delayed play for half an hour until 11.30am. The green baize-like strip glowing underneath left him in no doubt what to do if he won the toss. Unfortunately for the crowd that meant Cornwall fielded first when the coin fell in his favour.
Papatoetoe reserve grade were dismissed for 109, with Crowe setting attacking fields throughout. He stood at first slip, a position he had a mortgage on for the entire innings. Apart from the odd adjustment of what looked like a right knee support underneath the strides and a sometimes tentative running gait he looked in good shape. Papatoetoe had plenty of opportunities to score with a fairly open leg side in the early stanzas but Cornwall's bowling, notably through Oliver Pringle (three for 37) kept Crowe's aggressive fields relevant.
Cornwall batted not long after lunch. Again Crowe was blessed with an intuitive sense of PR as cameras were thrust in his direction, adding a surreal element to the reserve grade XI contest. Crowe donned his gear and a traditional bandana and warmed-up with a few practice shots. The cameras lapped it up as he showed the maker's name, a Gunn and Moore "Flare" to be specific. There must be a cheque in the mail for such golden publicity.
However, for most it was a chance to relive the past - injury and satisfaction permitting, it will continue over summer at a local ground near you.
Also interesting interview about his career
Cricket: A legend goes back to the basics - Sport - NZ Herald News
Cricket: A legend goes back to the basics
By Chris Rattue and Dylan Cleaver
5:30 AM Saturday Nov 5, 2011
The 49-year-old Martin Crowe, one of the world's best batsmen during his 77-test career, returns to cricket action today for his beloved Cornwall club.
Sixteen years after his final international appearance in a brilliant but injury-affected career, Crowe - now executive producer for Sky's Rugby Channel - will don the whites as captain of the Cornwall premier reserves at Papatoetoe when the two-day club competition starts.
While his love of the game and a desire to tame middle age spread have helped persuade Crowe to embark on a unique comeback, the competitive fires still burn brightly. His ultimate aim is a place in Auckland's Plunket Shield side although he admits his chances are not high. Injuries have come easily, and he will need exceptional numbers to replace a representative up-and-comer.
But Crowe was a truly exceptional cricketer and almost certainly our finest batsman, so nothing is impossible. He chats with the Herald about his return to the crease, his career, old team mates and opponents, commentary and the state of cricket.
Tell us about the comeback.
I'm doing it for my well being, health and fitness. But once I get a bat in the hands - it was the thing I was born to do. I finished on a bit of a negative - Glenn Turner didn't want me [in the New Zealand side] and the injured knee was screaming at me. This is my way of getting back to the purity of the game ... and taking out my frustrations with how it has been run. And to bat and move between the wickets is a joy. When I finished playing, I was hobbling. At 40, I couldn't walk at all and had to have an operation which meant my right tibia was sawn off below the knee and moved 10 degrees to the left. Today I can run which is due to the op, but mainly the desire to play again. It means I can run around the park with my daughter ... it's a freedom I never thought I could experience again.
Are the instincts and reactions still there?
I've been tested by the same guy who tested me in 1992 and my eyesight is 20 per cent better now and so is my balance. The brain picks up the ball and tells the body what to do, the trouble being the body was 10kg heavier and didn't want to do it. That was the challenge. The oxymoron is that I can't see two feet in front of me - I need glasses to read or write. Footwork is the engine room of batting and that comes back although I haven't been up against 140km/h bowling.
What has been your preparation?
I've had 20 hours in the nets ... I tried a personal trainer but flagged that, it was just too much for a 49-year-old. Cornwall had a boot camp and I tore a hamstring there. This is a mental challenge and I'm intrigued.
Are there any Cornwall teammates left from the past?
Rex Smith is still the coach all these years later - he's got Graham Henry-like numbers. The players are all aged 20 to 25 - they have been great. It was pouring with rain at practice this week and they tore about playing rugby whereas I put the kettle on.
There can't be many reserve grade club cricketers in the world with more than 5000 test runs and 17 centuries ...
I'm disappointed not starting in the premiers, but that is down to the injuries. Going back to Cornwall has been wonderful - I started there in 1968. I got the love of the game from my father and his ashes are spread there; there is also a plaque on a bench for him. Playing for Auckland might not be a realistic dream but I'm not mucking about with this. The currency I've always dealt in is 100s. Another goal is to play for the MCC who meet the English county champions in Abu Dhabi before each season.
You are sorely missed in the TV commentary box - any chance of a full return?
No. I'm married (to Lorraine Downes), with an eight-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old stepdaughter and I don't want a life on the road any more. I knew it was time to step down when Ian Smith challenged me saying I could not do commentary while coaching some of the New Zealand players [including Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott and Tim McIntosh]. There were the other issues but that was the final one.
A quick look back ... do you have a favourite innings?
A couple - scoring a century at Lords in '94 on one leg, after coming back from injury in '93. I cherished Lords and my father always talked about the place ... it wasn't against a great attack and there was nothing special about the innings but it was incredibly emotional. Scoring three centuries against the West Indies won me a certain amount of respect.
The scariest fast bowler ...
My debut was against Thommo (Aussie Jeff Thomson). I was just out of school and Thommo kept hitting me, Bruce Laird kept handing my helmet back, and Rodney Marsh kept telling me how noisy it was when a cricket ball hit a helmet. I didn't want to be there. I got the bat on one to where there were no fielders in front of the wicket, I ran to the other end and Geoff Howarth hadn't moved. Thommo ran me out. I thought if this is test cricket Mr Howarth you can stick it - we never saw eye to eye from that point on.
Speaking of fast bowlers, what about the great man, Richard Hadlee?
Some players such as John Bracewell never warmed to him but I certainly did. Bracewell called us a dysfunctional family but that New Zealand team was proud, edgy, hungry, had the bit between the teeth, and we were led by a mighty champion. Richard Hadlee was a class act. He was the number one bowler in the world for eight years running and a terrific batsman ... there was an incredible emptiness in the New Zealand side with him gone.
What's the best advice you ever received?
Whenever I knew there was a great player in the ground, I would seek their advice. Sunil Gavaskar taught me about head position, Bert Sutcliffe about the grip, Greg Chappell foot movement, Viv Richards courage ...
Scary man, Viv Richards ...
At Port of Spain, on his first day as captain of the West Indies, he comes up to me at the tea break and says 'what the f*** are you doing here, you need to f*** off.' The All Blacks had just announced they were off to South Africa and he was so anti-apartheid he was just bursting with rage. He was fearless and stood up for what he believed in.
Is there anything you would change in cricket?
I hate the term Black Caps and get sick of all our national teams having variations on that (All Black theme). I'm not a Black Cap - I'm a New Zealand cricketer. We're the only national cricket team with a name like that. It makes us sound like just another franchise and there are so many of them. Without getting too deep, it might affect our players on a subconscious level.
The big one - what's the state of New Zealand cricket?
I loved representing my country but the administration has struggled apart from the Chris Doig era. He was robust, innovative, a go-getter, a very powerful presence. I don't have a lot of positive things to say at the moment so I don't want to dwell on that. Our former batsmen such as Bruce Edgar, John Wright and Andrew Jones weren't necessarily pretty to watch, but they were self-sufficient and effective. What you see now is a lot of cloned batsmen and under pressure they struggle to respond. I'm most worried about the bowling, though. We are being left behind a breakaway of the top test nations. Test cricket is where the game is at and it produces the quality players for the other forms. From December to February we have 80 consecutive days with no first class cricket which sends a message it isn't important any more.
On a positive note ...?
I believe we have a good captain in Ross Taylor and he can lead the side for the next seven or eight years. Hopefully we can find a good CEO. The emphasis has to be on the domestic first class competition. We need a parochial competition that produces cricketers with the desperation to win.
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