Martin Crowe was a New Zealand cricket player and commentator. Regarded as the country's greatest batsman, Crowe was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012 and although he was in remission for a time, he suffered a relapse in 2014, and died in 2016. Check some interesting trivia about Martin Crowe:
1. Martin Crowe was born on September 1962 in Henderson, Auckland, to Dave Crowe, a former New Zealand domestic cricketer. His brother Jeff Crowe also represented New Zealand.
2. He was the leading run scorer in 1992 World Cup where he scored 456 runs at an average of 114 and was awarded “The Man of the Tournament” award. This award was introduced in 1992 World Cup cricket in 1992 and Crowe was the first winner of the Trophy.
3. Known for innovations, he initiated the ‘Cricket Max’ in New Zealand – a shortened version of the game (10 overs per side). It was not a success.
4. In the inaugural edition of Indian Premier League in 2008, he was the CEO of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team.
5. On 28 February 2015, Crowe was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in an emotional ceremony during the lunch break of New Zealand’s pool game against Australia during the 2015 World Cup.
6. He was the first cousin of Hollywood superstar Russell Crowe.
7. In 1991, Crowe married Simone Curtice, an interior designer. They separated five years later, in 1996. Crowe then entered into a relationship with Suzanne Taylor, with whom he had one daughter. He and Taylor separated in 2005. In 2009, Crowe married for a second time, to Lorraine Downes, a former Miss Universe and winner of the New Zealand version of the reality TV show ‘Dancing with the Stars’ 2006 season. They remained married until his death.
8. In October 2012, Crowe was diagnosed with lymphoma. He announced in 2013 that he was free of cancer, but it returned in 2014, indicating that his chances of survival beyond 12 months were less than 5 per cent and on March 3, 2016, Crowe passed away after battling with the dreaded disease.
Saurabh Sharma