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Jeff Crowe, elder brother of Martin, delayed his Test chances by
moving to South Australia for four seasons, becoming a prolific
Sheffield Shield batsman and hardening his game in a way he knew would
not happen in domestic cricket in New Zealand. The Crowes had cricket in
their blood. Their father Dave, who became a prolific cricket writer,
had played first class cricket for Wellington in his day. Jeff moved
back to Auckland in 1982-83 and was immediately put into New Zealand's
ODI team, playing in the World Series back in Australia.
He came to
England in 1983 and played in two Tests but with a top score of 13. In a
1983-84 series against England in Wellington and 47 in Christchurch,
before trumping that with 128 in Auckland. Against West Indies in
1984-85 he hade 64 in Trinidad and 112 at Kingston against Marshall,
Garner, Walsh and Winston Davis, though he could not stave off an
innings defeat. He came to England again in 1986, but his best Test
score was 23. He made 55 against West Indies in Christchurch in the
southern season which followed. He was appointed New Zealand captain in
1986-87 against Sri Lanka and scored 120 not out in the Colombo Test.
He
captained New Zealand in six Tests and in the 1987 World Cup, when he
made 88 not out against Zimbabwe in Calcutta. He was dropped after the
first Test against New Zealand in 1987-88. He was recalled when Pakistan
came to New Zealand in 1988-89. He made a valuable 49 in a long
rearguard with Mark Greatbatch which earned New Zealand a draw at Perth
in 1989-90. (Bob Harragan)
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