NEW DELHI: The England Cricket Board (ECB) and the New Zealand Cricket Board (NZC) have mutually decided that the two sides will compete against each other in Tests for the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy.
Naming the Test series as Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, the two teams will be honouring the late Martin Crowe of New Zealand and Graham Thorpe of England.
Sadly, Crowe passed away in March 2016 and Thorpe in August 2024.
Both Crowe and Thorpe had successful Test careers. Crowe, who is regarded as BlackCaps’ finest batter, averaged 45.36 with 17 centuries. Thorpe, on the other hand averaged 44.66 with 16 centuries.
England top-order Joe Root who worked closely with Thorpe during his time as a batting coach with ECB said “It is an absolute honour”.
“What a great man. For me personally, to have someone who you watched growing up and took a lot from, then to get the opportunity to work with him as a coach. The amount he put into my game, to have the opportunity to play for something with his name on it is really quite special and a nice way to remember his legacy”. “It’s a really fitting way to remember two of England and New Zealand’s great players.”
“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 command respect wherever they went,” NZC CEO Scott Weenink said.
“Martin and Graham are two legends of the game, and it is fitting that the Test series between our two men’s sides will now be contested in their name. It is heartbreaking 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,” ECB chief executive Richard Gould said.
Significantly, the trophy of this series is made of the wood used from the bats of Martin Crowe and Graham Thorpe. The legends’ families had gifted the bats which carry special meaning.
Crowe’s bat was the Gunn and Moore with which he scored a century at Lord’s in 1994.
Thorpe’s bat is the Kookaburra with which he scored back-to-back centuries against New Zealand in 1997.
The trophy is designed by David Ngawati of Mahu Creative, who also designed the Tangiwai Shield for New Zealand’s Test series with South Africa.
