Martin Crowe and Graham Thorpe—one a New Zealand legend, the other an English icon. The England-New Zealand Test series has been dedicated to these two late cricketing greats. From now on, the Test rivalry between these two nations will be known as the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy. A special wooden trophy has been created to honor their memory.
The wooden base of the trophy is inscribed in black letters on brass plating, reading Crowe-Thorpe Trophy. What makes the trophy truly unique is its composition—it has been crafted using parts of bats once used by Martin Crowe and Graham Thorpe. This special project was carried out with the support of the families of the two cricketers, in collaboration with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
In 1994, Martin Crowe scored a century against England at Lord’s using a GM bat. The family of the late cricketer, who passed away in 2016, donated that very bat for the making of the trophy. On the other hand, Graham Thorpe’s contribution came from his Kookaburra bat, which he used to score back-to-back centuries against New Zealand in 1997.
The design of the trophy was handled by Mahu Creative, a firm previously responsible for creating trophies for the New Zealand-South Africa series. The Crowe-Thorpe Trophy will be unveiled officially ahead of the Christchurch Test on Thursday morning . New Zealand and England will play three Test matches in this series—the first in Christchurch, followed by matches in Wellington and Hamilton.
Most cricket pundits regard Martin Crowe as the greatest batsman in New Zealand’s history. He captained the team that reached the semifinals of the 1992 World Cup and had an illustrious Test career. In 71 Tests, Crowe scored 5,444 runs at an average of 45.36, including 17 centuries. Sadly, he passed away in 2016 at the age of 53 after battling cancer for years.
Graham Thorpe, on the other hand, passed away in August this year at the age of 55 in tragic circumstances. The former England captain, in his playing days, scored 6,744 runs in 100 Tests at an average of 44.66, including 16 centuries.
While announcing the new trophy, Scott Weenink, head of New Zealand Cricket, said:
“We want the current generation to carry the legacy of Graham and Martin, along with all those who came before them. It feels great to honor their memory this way. Watching our boys play for a trophy bearing their names is the highest form of respect we could offer.”
