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Batsmen Martin Crowe and Graham Thorpe will be honored by New Zealand and England playing for a trophy named after them in all future Test series between the teams, starting this week.
The Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, a collaboration with the men’s families, is made from wood taken from their bats.
Crowe, who scored five centuries against England, died in 2016, while Thorpe, a constant thorn in the side of New Zealand teams, took his own life earlier this year.
“The current generation of players stand on the shoulders of those who came before them, players like Graham and Martin,” New Zealand cricket chief Scott Weenink said on Tuesday.
“It’s good that we recognize that and respect their legacy.”
The head of English cricket, Richard Gould, called Crowe and Thorpe “two legends of the game”.
“It is fitting that the Test series between our two men’s teams will now be played on their behalf,” he added.
The bat gifted by Thorpe’s family is the one with which he scored his first two centuries against New Zealand in 1997, while Crowe’s is the willow used to score a century at Lord’s in 1994.
Both players enjoyed enormous success in their time.
Crowe averaged 45.36 in Tests and posted 17 centuries with a highest score of 299, while Thorpe averaged 44.66 with 16 tons and a maximum score of 200 not out.
New Zealand will face England in the first Test starting in Christchurch on Thursday before the series moves to Wellington and then Hamilton.
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