When New Zealand and England take the field in the first Test on November 28, they will compete for the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have decided to honour the late Martin Crowe and Graham Thorpe by naming a trophy after them.
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Both cricket boards have collaborated with the families of these two legendary players to unveil the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy. They will unveil the trophy before the start of the first Test between New Zealand and England.
David Ngawati has designed the wooden trophy made from the bats of both players. The bat gifted by Thorpe’s family was used by Graham to score his first two Test hundreds against New Zealand in 1997. Crowe’s bat is from 1994 when he scored a century at the Lord’s.
NZC CEO Scott Weenink said it was good to recognise and respect the legacies of Martin Crowe and Graham Thorpe. “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 were seriously good batters who understood the game intimately – they commanded respect wherever they went,” Weenink said in a statement.
England legend Graham Thorpe has been honoured in a new Crowe-Thorpe Trophy.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) November 25, 2024
Part of the trophy is made up of the bat Graham used to score his first two centuries against New Zealand.
Graham's handwriting has been lifted off the face of his bat and inserted onto the trophy ❤️
Weenink’s ECB counterpart, Richard Gould, also echoed the same feeling. He said it was fitting to compete in the Test series named after the two legends.
“It’s heart-breaking 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,” Gould further added.
Crowe made his Test debut for New Zealand in 1982 when he was just 19 years old. He went on to build a remarkable career, scoring 5,444 runs in 77 matches at an average of 45.36. Crowe also accumulated 17 centuries and 18 fifties.
Thorpe, on the other hand, started his Test career with an unbeaten 114 on debut against Australia in 1993. New Zealand was one of his favourite opponents, scoring 905 runs, including four centuries. Overall, Thorpe featured in 100 Tests for England and scored 6,744 runs, including 16 hundreds.
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New Zealand vs England Test Series
The three-match Test series between New Zealand and England will begin on November 28, 2024. Christchurch will host the first matches, followed by Wellington (Dec 6-10) and Hamilton (Dec 14-18).
This will be an important series for New Zealand, as they are still in contention for the WTC Final 2025. As for England, they don’t have any real chance of making it to the final in the third consecutive WTC cycle.
