Former New Zealand cricket captain Martin Crowe died in Auckland on Thursday. He was 53. One of New Zealand's most respected batsmen and writers, Crowe had been suffering from lymphoma since 2012.

Crowe is considered the finest ever batsman to have played for New Zealand. His 17 Test centuries remain a New Zealand record, while his highest Test score of 299 was only broken by Brendon McCullum after two decades. Crowe captained the New Zealand cricket team during the 1992 World Cup. His leadership took the team to the semifinals of the tournament in a performance that few expected.

Crowe is also credited with coming up with an early precursor to Twenty20 cricket called "Cricket Max" in the late 1990's.