England is on a tour of New Zealand for a three-match test series. The first test will start on November 28th at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
Just ahead of the first test, the series has been named after New Zealand’s late Martin Crowe and England’s late Graham Thorpe. The England vs New Zealand series will now known as the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy in honour of the former cricket legends for their respective countries.
Martin Crowe scored 5444 runs for the Kiwis in 77 test matches. His batting average was 45.36 including 17 hundreds and 18 fifties to his name. Crowe made his test debut at the young age of 19 back in 1982 against Australia.
On the other hand, Graham Thorpe played 100 test matches for England. He scored 6744 runs at an average of 45.89. Thorpe has 16 hundreds and 59 half-centuries to his name in his test career. He scored a century on his test debut back in 1993 against Australia.
New Zealand Cricket’s CEO, Scott Weenink said, “Today’s generation of players are standing on the shoulders of those who went before them, players like Graham and Martin”.
He also added, “It’s good that we recognise this and respect their legacy. Both were seriously good batsmen who understood the game intimately – they commanded respect wherever they went”.
Confident New Zealand, England eyeing comeback
Martin’s sister Deb Crowe and former English captain Michael Atherton will unveil the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy. The ceremony will take place ahead of the national anthems in the first test.
ECB CEO Richard Gould 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”.
He further added, “It’s 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”.
New Zealand will be the confident side ahead of the 3-match series. They registered a historic 3-0 win against India in India. On the other hand, England lost the test series against Pakistan 2-1 after winning the first test. They’ll be eager for a comeback in this series.
