Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe is planning a return to first-class cricket after 15 years and sees it as an opportunity score the 392 runs he needs for 20,000 first-class runs besides a way to get fitter.

Crowe, 48, will first turn out for the Cornwall Cricket Club before deciding on plans to play for Auckland Central Districts.

“Physically, I am a person who needs more than going to gym. I need to fire myself up. I don’t like swimming, cycling, or lifting weights. I can’t climb, I can’t run; why not bat? It’s a serious goal to get fit but it’s a fun and light-hearted attempt to see if a 48-year old can play and at what level. Unless you try you will never know,” cricinfo quoted Crowe as saying.

“Hey! If Ganguly can do it, anyone can do it! Shane Warne has been amazing and as a spin bowler he can probably bowl like that for a long time to come. Gilchrist has kept himself fit. It’s human nature to feel that you are top of things.”

Crowe said he drew inspiration from Adam Parore and Mark Richardson.

“Parore is about to climb Mount Everest and Mark Richardson is about to do four marathons this year. I realised I needed to something that wasn’t just about getting fit but oriented towards something I would have fun doing. My friend texted me: ‘Why don’t you try knocking off 20,000 first-class runs? You have 392 to go.’

“And I thought that’s the perfect answer. Why don’t I take a bat in my hand and see what happens when summer comes around. At the same time it could be fun because here in New Zealand the batting is in a little bit of decline and it will be a good way to see where the techniques are at.”

“My vision is pretty good. One of the challenges is to see how the nerves hold out - when a 20-year old is bowling at you, how do you feel about it? And I am quite keen to find out what’s that like.”

The last time he picked up the bat was last March, when he turned out in a charity game for the Christchurch earthquake victims called ‘Fill the Basin’. Crowe made six runs, which included a boundary, before falling to Stephen Fleming.

“I play regular golf and I have played cricket occasionally over the years. Two years ago, I took the New Zealand team to Hong Kong sixes and I did a lot of practice,” he said.

“When I was in Bangalore for IPL in 2008 as coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore, I did a lot of practice before the main players turned up. I faced a lot of Sunil Joshi in the nets. I felt good, fit. I know I can still use the bat, it’s the case of whether the body holds up, and how long the foot will keep moving until everything seizes up.”