Martin Crowe inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

 Crowe became the third New Zealander, after Sir Richard Hadlee and Debbie Hockley, and the 79th overall to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame when he received his commemorative cap from Mr Wally Edwards, ICC Director and Chairman of Cricket Australia.

The induction ceremony was held during the innings break of the New Zealand-Australia match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 at Eden Park, and was also attended by Mr Stephen Boock, New Zealand Cricket President.

On his induction into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, Crowe said: “On behalf of my family, I am extremely privileged to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, joining Sir Richard Hadlee and Debbie Hockley as the other New Zealanders to be awarded such a prestigious honour.

“Since I was eight years old, I was always reading and hearing about the great players who inspired the world over. In that, I have to thank my father Dave, for his mentoring and encouragement to my brother Jeff and I to play a game that he said of all sports ‘mirrored life itself’.

“I loved the story of how an English coach had told Dad that he would never a make Test cricketer. Thirty years later, he was able to nudge the same coach and reply, “You were right, I never made a Test cricketer, I made two!

“Both Jeff and I wouldn’t have made it without the wonderful support of our mother Audrey and sister Deb. Cricket was our life, and remains so. We are grateful for what cricket has given our family.

“Thank you to the ICC, and the voting members. Thank you to every teammate, coach and manager - you made it a wonderful journey. Mostly, thank you to all the fans and supporters across the world, especially here in New Zealand, who came to watch and cheer.

“It’s so fitting that this induction should be at Eden Park, a home where I made my international debut back in 1982, and where my parents came to watch for nearly 40 years together.

“I'm deeply moved, and will remember this day for the rest of my life.”

Crowe made his international debut against Australia in Wellington in February 1982 at the age of 19. He retired 13 years later after playing 77 Tests, in which he scored 5,444 runs at an average of 45.36. This included 17 centuries, the most by a New Zealand cricketer, while his 299 against Sri Lanka in Wellington in January 1991 stood as a national record until Brendon McCullum scored 302 against India in Wellington in February 2014.

Crowe also played 143 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in which he scored 4,704 runs at an average of 38.55, with four hundreds and 34 half-centuries. He played in three ICC Cricket World Cups, and led New Zealand to the semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 1992, where his side lost to Pakistan, the eventual champion, in Auckland.

He captained New Zealand in 16 Tests and 44 ODIs.

Overall, Crowe played 247 first-class matches in a 17-year career in which he scored 19,608 runs, with 71 centuries and 80 half-centuries. Apart from representing New Zealand, he also played for Auckland, Central Districts, Somerset and Wellington.

The process for the selection of players into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame started last year, when the ICC Chairman invited all the living ICC Cricket Hall of Famers to send their nominations. The ICC Nominations Committee reduced the long-list to ten men and three women.

The short-list was then sent to the Voting Academy, which included representatives of all the ten Full Members, media representatives from all the ten Full Members, Associate & Affiliate Members, women’s cricket and FICA representatives as well as living ICC Hall of Famers. The ICC collated the nominations and forwarded the ballot papers to the auditors who provided the final results.

ICC Cricket Hall of Fame – initial inductees (55)

Sydney Barnes, Bishan Bedi, Alec Bedser, Richie Benaud, Allan Border, Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, Donald Bradman, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Denis Compton, Colin Cowdrey, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Lance Gibbs, Graham Gooch, David Gower, WG Grace, Tom Graveney, Gordon Greenidge, Richard Hadlee, Walter Hammond, Neil Harvey, George Headley, Jack Hobbs, Michael Holding, Leonard Hutton, Rohan Kanhai, Imran Khan, Alan Knott, Jim Laker, Harold Larwood, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Clive Lloyd, Hanif Mohammad, Rodney Marsh, Malcolm Marshall, Peter May, Javed Miandad, Keith Miller, Bill O’Reilly, Graeme Pollock, Wilfred Rhodes, Barry Richards, Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts, Garfield Sobers, Brian Statham, Fred Trueman, Derek Underwood, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Frank Woolley, Frank Worrell

2009-10 Inductees

Herbert Sutcliffe, Steve Waugh, Wasim Akram, Victor Trumper and Clarrie Grimmett

2010-11 Inductees

Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, Ken Barrington, Courtney Walsh and Joel Garner

2011-12 Inductees

Belinda Clark, Frederick Spofforth, Curtly Ambrose and Alan Davidson

2012-13 Inductees

Enid Bakewell, Brian Lara, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne

2013-14 Inductees

Adam Gilchrist, Debbie Hockley, Bob Simpson and Waqar Younis

2014-15 Inductees

Anil Kumble, Betty Wilson and Martin Crowe. One more to be announced in due course