England-New Zealand bilateral series to be named after Graham Thorpe and Martin Crowe
England are set to honor legendary batter Graham Thorpe by naming the trophy for the bilateral series against New Zealand after him. Thorpe tragically died in August this year at just 55.
Along with Thorpe, the trophy will also be named after New Zealand legend Martin Crowe, who also died at 53 after a three-year battle with lymphoma in 2016.
The England-New Zealand three-Test series will be played from November 28 to December 18. The series begins at Wellington for the first Test before moving to Wellington and Hamilton for the final two Tests.
The two teams have faced each other in Tests since 1929/30, with England holding a 52-13 edge in 112 outings (47 draws). Yet, the series holds much importance for the Kiwis in terms of the World Test Championship (WTC), coming off the stunning 3-0 win in India.
While England's chances of qualifying for the WTC final are all but done, New Zealand can still garner hopes if they win the series 3-0.
The two teams last met in the red-ball format in a two-match series early last year, ending in a 1-1 draw.
A Lookback on Graham Thorpe and Martin Crowe's international careers
Graham Thorpe and Martin Crowe remain two of the all-time greatest batters in England and New Zealand history.
Thorpe played 100 Tests for England, scoring 6,744 runs at an average of 44.66 with 16 centuries. He is 15th all-time among Test runs for England. The southpaw also enjoyed an impressive ODI career, finishing with 2,380 runs at an average of over 37 in 82 outings.
Meanwhile, Crowe is New Zealand's sixth all-time leading run-scorer in Tests with 5,444 runs at a stellar average of 45.36. His 17 Test centuries is third all-time among Kiwi batters, behind only Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor.
The former New Zealand captain also blossomed in ODIs with 4,704 runs at an average of 38.55, including four centuries in 143 matches.
While Thorpe was a dominant force in world cricket in the 1990s and early 2000s, Crowe enjoyed incredible success in the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s.