Crowe inducted into cricket hall of fame

New Zealand cricket legend Martin Crowe. Photo / Brett Phibbs.

New Zealand cricketing great Martin Crowe will be inducted into the International Cricket Council's hall of fame during the innings break of the World Cup match between New Zealand and Australia at Eden Park on Saturday.

He will become the 79th inductee and third New Zealand player after Sir Richard Hadlee and Debbie Hockley to receive the honour.

Crowe, who has a rare blood disease called double-hit lymphoma, said he wouldn't want to miss the match between the two tournament co-hosts and title contenders for anything.

"For me, it will be the only (World Cup) game I get to, and it's almost like a bookend to my cricketing life, to be there on Saturday and watch these boys," Crowe said recently. "It's going to be an incredible battle. You're not going to see fielding sides like these two probably ever in the history of the game."

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. He scored 5444 runs at an average of 45.36, including 17 centuries, the most by a New Zealander.

Crowe also played 143 one-day internationals, scoring 4704 runs at an average of 38.55. He played in three World Cups, leading New Zealand to the semi-finals in 1992 where his side lost to eventual champion Pakistan at Eden Park.

Crowe had happier memories of the ground and he was looking forward to reliving those on Saturday.

"There will be 45,000 people there," he said. "The last time there was 45,000 people there (for a one-day match) was my first one-day international [against Australia in 1982]. The crowd was spilling all over the ropes. Jeremy Coney put up a hell of an act, Greg Chappell got the best hundred you'll ever see. It was a day I'll never forget."

The process for the selection started last year when the ICC chairman invited all the living hall of famers to send their nominations.

Surprisingly, the ICC release says Crowe will receive his commemorative cap from the chairman of Cricket Australia, Wally Edwards, rather than a New Zealander.

*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