Martin David Crowe MBE was a New Zealand cricketer, Test and ODI captain as well as a commentator. He played for the New Zealand national cricket team between 1982 and 1995, and is regarded as one of the country's greatest batsmen. During the 1980s, the decade of great success for New Zealand cricket, Martin Crowe was the outstanding batsman. By the time he retired from test cricket in 1995 he had scored the most runs by any New Zealander (5,444), made the most centuries (17), made the highest score (299), and had the highest batting average of any New Zealand player with over 20 matches (45.36). In 1987 he became the 1st first-class cricketer in 40 years to score more than 4,000 runs in a calendar year.

Crowe was born in Henderson, a suburb of Auckland, to a family of cricketers. His father, Dave Crowe, played first-class cricket for Canterbury and Wellington and his older brother, Jeff Crowe, played Test cricket. One of the brothers' first cousins is actor Russell Crowe. Martin was an extra in the Oscar winning film Gladiator, starring his famous cousin. He was never going to be a foot soilder and ended up as the part of a Roman Senator. ln 1968, Martin Crowe joined his father and brother at the Cornwall Cricket Club, with which he maintained a lifelong connection.

The path of brotherly love ran deeply, but not always smoothly. Standing in as an umpire one day, Jeff told Martin not to worry if he got hit on the pads. Third ball, still on zero, Crowe the Younger was struck on the pads and before he had the time to glance to look up, the Elder's finger was pointing ramrod straight into the air. Jeff, four years his senior, was perhaps the greatest spur to Martin's greatness. The battles were fierce growing up in Grendon Rd, where the city meets the bush in Titirangi. Snooker balls and, on one occasion, a cheese slice were used as weapons when results didn't go the right way.

At Auckland Grammar School, which he attended from 1976 to 1980, he was deputy head boy in his final year. Crowe, nicknamed ‘Hogan’ after he captained a junior team called Hogan's Heroes, is one the prestigious school's most famous old boys. In 1979, in his second year as captain of 1st XI, he scored 325 runs at an average of 40.60. He also played rugby union, as a wing. He was also the great-grandson of All Black Francis Jervis.

Crowe made his first-class debut in January 1980, playing for Auckland against Canterbury. Aged just 17 at the time, he scored 51 runs in his first innings, which was his team's highest score. In 1981, having been named New Zealand's Young Cricketer of the Year, Crowe was given the opportunity to spend six months on the ground staff of Lord's, simultaneously playing for the Marylebone Cricket Club. Returning to New Zealand for the 1981/82 domestic season, he scored a maiden first-class century, making 150 runs against Canterbury. Crowe switched to Central Districts after the 1982/83 season. His career for Central Districts was limited by his international duties, but in 32 first-class appearances (from 1983 to 1990), he averaged 68.72, with 13 centuries. Crowe's highest score for the team (and in all New Zealand domestic cricket) was 242, made against Otago in January 1990.

In 1984, Crowe signed to play English county cricket with Somerset. He had great success in his first County Championship season, finishing second behind Vic Marks in Somerset's averages and placing sixth for overall runs scored. However, Crowe did not return to the county until the 1987 season. In that year's County Championship, he placed third in the overall averages (behind teammate Steve Waugh and Northamptonshire's Roger Harper), and also placed third for overall runs scored (behind Graeme Hick and Graeme Fowler). Against Hampshire in the 1987 Benson & Hedges Cup (a limited-overs competition), he scored 155 not out from 119 balls, which was the highest one-day score of his career.

Crowe made his international debut for New Zealand in February 1982, in a One Day International (ODI) game against Australia played at Auckland's Eden Park. He made his Test debut at the end of the month, playing against the same team at Wellington's Basin Reserve. At the time, only six New Zealanders had made their Test debuts at a younger age. At the 1983 World Cup in England, Crowe played in all six of his team's matches, with only Geoff Howarth scoring more runs. His highest score was 97, made in the opening game against England. In January 1984, when England toured, Crowe scored his first Test century – 100 runs exactly.

In 1985, Crowe made two scores of 188. The first came on a mid-year tour of the West Indies, with Crowe at the crease for 462 balls and over nine hours. The second came in an end-of-year tour of Australia, in a match that was better known for Richard Hadlee's 15-wicket haul. In a Test against the West Indies in February 1987, Crowe and John Wright put on 241 runs for the third wicket, setting a new third-wicket record for New Zealand. Later in the year, Crowe played in the 1987 World Cup in India. He finished as New Zealand's leading run-scorer, making three half-centuries from six matches, although his team struggled, winning only against Zimbabwe.

Crowe was first appointed captain of New Zealand for a tour of Pakistan in October and November 1990. Crowe's second series as captain came in early 1991, when Sri Lanka toured. In the first Test of the series, played in Wellington, Crowe scored 299 runs in his team's second innings, setting a new record for the highest score by a New Zealander. He was at the crease for 523 balls and over ten hours, and scored 29 fours and three sixes. Crowe and Andrew Jones (who scored 186) put on 467 runs for the third wicket, setting a new record for the highest partnership in Test cricket. The pair helped New Zealand, behind by 323 runs on the first innings, to score 671/4 at the end of the final day's play, which at the time was the highest score in the third innings of a Test.

At the 1992 World Cup, which New Zealand co-hosted with Australia, Crowe finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 456 runs, and was named player of the tournament. One of his highlights was an innings of 100 not out in the opening match against Australia, which New Zealand won by 37 runs. The crowd invaded the pitch at the end of the match, as it was considered one of New Zealand's finest ODI victories led by a brilliant individual batting performance.

Crowe chose to bat first against Pakistan in the Semi-final, and scored 91 runs from 83 balls to help his team to a total of 262/7. However, when Pakistan batted, he chose to stay off the field and rest an injured hamstring, with John Wright taking over on the field. Pakistan won the match by four wickets. Crowe largely blamed himself for his team's loss, and in a 2014 article said that his decision not to take the field was "a curse that tormented me for over two decades."

Crowe's last series as captain of New Zealand came when Australia toured in February and March 1993. He had struggled with injuries for several years, and was replaced by Ken Rutherford to allow him to concentrate on his form. However, he returned as captain for one final match in November 1993, the first game of a series against Australia. In total, Crowe captained New Zealand in sixteen Tests, winning only two. He had a much better record in ODIs, with the team winning 21 out of 44 matches under his captaincy.

In his first series after giving up the captaincy, a 1994 tour of England, Crowe scored consecutive centuries, making 142 at Lord's and 115 at Old Trafford. His series tally of 380 runs was the second-highest of his career. Crowe continued playing for several more seasons, eventually retiring after a tour of India in October and November 1995. He scored his final international hundred in the first ODI of the tour, aged 33. Crowe finished with 5,444 Test runs and 4,704 ODI runs, both New Zealand records at the time. At the time of his retirement, only Sir Richard Hadlee had played more Tests for New Zealand. Crowe held the record for the most Test centuries by a New Zealander at the time, finishing with seventeen (including one against every Test-playing team but South Africa).

In the 1992 New Year Honours, Crowe was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to cricket. On 28 February 2015, Crowe was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Crowe made 21 centuries in international cricket, 17 in Tests and 4 in One Day Internationals. He scored his first Test century against England, also at the Basin Reserve on 20 January 1984, scoring 100. He scored his final Test century, also against England at Old Trafford, Manchester on 30 June 1994, scoring 115. He played his final Test match against India at the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack on 8 November 1995, having played 77 matches. His highest score in Tests is 299, scored against Sri Lanka at the Basin Reserve.

He scored his first ODI century against England, also at Eden Park, scoring 105 not out. He scored his final ODI century against India at the Keenan Stadium, Jamshedpur on 15 November 1995, scoring 107 not out, his highest score in ODIs. He played his final ODI in the final game of the same series against India at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur on 26 November 1995, having played 143 matches.

After his retirement, Crowe helped develop a local variation of cricket, called "Cricket Max", a precursor to T20 and became a television commentator and pundit. He was a board member of the South Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby League Football Club of which Russell Crowe is part owner. At age 49, Crowe played for the Cornwall reserve grade team, captaining them and batting at No.3 against Papatoetoe in a second-division club match in Auckland, the same club where his father played grade cricket.

Martin Crowe died of complications from the disease Lymphoma in Auckland on 3 March 2016. One of his last wishes was to attend the 2015 Cricket World Cup Final between Australia and New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground which in fact was his last public appearance.