Crowe-Thorpe Trophy: NZ, England Test series named after former legends Martin Crowe & Graham Thorpe

Christchurch: England and New Zealand Test teams will honour the ICC Hall of Famer late Martin Crowe and former England batter Graham Thorpe with a trophy named in the former legends’ honour.

The Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, a collaboration between NZC, the ECB, and the families of each player, will be presented on the morning of the first Test against England in Christchurch, the two cricket boards said in a statement.

The Crowe-Thorpe Trophy will be unveiled by Deb Crowe (Martin’s sister) and former England Test captain Michael Atherton on the ground ahead on the national anthems on Thursday.

The trophy is made up of wood sourced from a bat from each player, the trophy is designed by David Ngawati of Mahu Creative and will be played for in future New Zealand-England Test series. Graham’s handwriting has been lifted off the face of his bat and inserted onto the trophy.

The bat gifted by the Thorpe family is the one with which Graham scored his first two centuries against New Zealand, in consecutive Tests in 1997, while the one donated by the Crowe family was the GM with which Martin scored his century at Lord’s in 1994.

Crowe made 17 Test centuries at an average of 45.36 across a 14-year international career last century, while Thorpe almost mirrored those stats with 16 Test hundreds with an average of 44.66 from 13 years at the top.

New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Scott Weenink said it was fitting the stories and memories of both players would be kept alive through the newly named trophy.

“Today’s generation of players are standing on the shoulders of those who went before them, players like Graham and Martin. It’s good that we recognise this and respect their legacy.

“Both those players were seriously good batsmen who understood the game intimately – they commanded respect wherever they went,” said Weenink.

Richard Gould, ECB Chief Executive Officer, said, “Martin and Graham are two legends of the game, and it is fitting that Test series between our two men’s sides will now be contested in their name. It’s heart-breaking to have lost both men so early, but by honouring them in this way I hope we can help ensure the memories and legacies of two of our nations’ finest cricketers live on long into the future.”

Thorpe, who debuted in 1993 and played 100 Tests, was a constant needle in the side of the New Zealand teams, against whom he scored four centuries and averaged 53. He died earlier this year, aged 55.

Crowe scored five centuries against England, including 142 at Lord’s in his last visit. He was enormously brave, scoring runs in the most difficult environments, including 188 in Georgetown against a West Indian attack including Malcom Marshall, Michael Holding and Joel Garner. He died in 2016, aged 53.

–IANS