Martin Crowe,Jonah Lomu get cricket trophy named after them

WELLINGTON: Cricketer Martin Crowe and Jonah Lomu, the late New Zealand rugby player, have been commemorated with a cricket trophy named after them.

The Hagley Oval in Christchurch will bring together cricket and rugby players for the inaugural ‘Black Clash’ Twenty20 match on January 25.Team Rugby have signed up former Australia batsman David Hussey as the international wildcard.

Lomu, who was a globally renowned rugby star, was New Zealand’s youngest ever All Black, when he made his debut at the age of 19. He died at the age of 40, following a heart attack. Crowe, the former New Zealand captain, and one of the country’s greatest batsman, lost a long battle to cancer in March 2016, aged 53.

“It’s truly fitting that the names of these two national heroes have pride of place on what is a wonderful, iconic piece of Kiwi art,” David Higgins, the founder and director of the Duco Events Group, which is organising the event, said.

“I’ve always believed that Martin and Jonah have not been fully recognised for the contribution they made to the country through their tremendous deeds on and off the sports field. Both Martin and Jonah were men whose achievements transcended the sports field. So to be able to honour them even in a small way by naming the T20 Black Clash trophy the Lomu-Crowe trophy just feels right.”