Crowe set for emotional induction

New Zealand cricket legend Martin Crowe, who is battling a rare and aggressive form of cancer, will be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame during the Cricket World Cup clash between the Black Caps and Australia on Saturday.

Crowe, who has a rare blood disease called double-hit lymphoma, will be part of expected capacity crowd at Auckland's Eden Park and during the innings break will become the 79th inductee into the Hall of Fame.

He will be the third Kiwi to receive the honour after Sir Richard Hadlee and Debbie Hockley.

Crowe said not even his illness could prevent him attending the match between the two tournament heavyweights.

"For me, it will be the only (World Cup) game I get to, and it's almost like a bookend to my cricketing life, to be there on Saturday and watch these boys," Crowe said.

Crowe, who played 77 Tests and 143 one-day internationals, hit a match-winning century to help New Zealand beat Australia at the same venue on their way to a semi-final finish in the 1992 World Cup.

Crowe will be presented with his commemorative cap by ICC Director and Chairman of Cricket Australia, Wally Edwards.

Australia’s Betty Wilson and India's Anil Kumble were inducted into the Hall of Fame in Melbourne last week.

Quick Single: Wilson, Kumble receive Hall of Fame honour

Crowe, one of the finest batsmen of his generation, said the current crop of New Zealand players were doing him proud.

"I am incredibly proud of New Zealand cricket and the way Brendon (McCullum) and his team have really taken up this challenge over the last year. I am just overwhelmed at the way they're playing a fearless game."

Crowe hoped the round robin game, which should decide who tops Pool A and plays a relatively weaker opponent in the last eight, would be a cracking affair.

"It's going to be an incredible battle. You're not going to see fielding sides like these two probably ever in the history of the game.

"There will be 45,000 people there. The last time there was 45,000 people there (for a one-day match) was my first one-day international," said Crowe of his debut against Australia in 1982.

"The crowd was spilling all over the ropes.

"(New Zealand's) Jeremy Coney put up a hell of an act, (Australia's) Greg Chappell got the best hundred you'll ever see. It was a day I'll never forget."

ICC CRICKET HALL OF FAME

Initial inductees
Sydney Barnes, Bishan Bedi, Alec Bedser, Richie Benaud, Allan Border, Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, Donald Bradman, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Denis Compton, Colin Cowdrey, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Lance Gibbs, Graham Gooch, David Gower, WG Grace, Tom Graveney, Gordon Greenidge, Richard Hadlee, Walter Hammond, Neil Harvey, George Headley, Jack Hobbs, Michael Holding, Leonard Hutton, Rohan Kanhai, Imran Khan, Alan Knott, Jim Laker, Harold Larwood, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Clive Lloyd, Hanif Mohammad, Rodney Marsh, Malcolm Marshall, Peter May, Javed Miandad, Keith Miller, Bill O’Reilly, Graeme Pollock, Wilfred Rhodes, Barry Richards, Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts, Garfield Sobers, Brian Statham, Fred Trueman, Derek Underwood, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Frank Woolley, Frank Worrell

2009-10 Inductees
Herbert Sutcliffe, Steve Waugh, Wasim Akram, Victor Trumper and Clarrie Grimmett

2010-11 Inductees
Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, Ken Barrington, Courtney Walsh and Joel Garner

2011-12 Inductees
Belinda Clark, Frederick Spofforth, Curtly Ambrose and Alan Davidson

2012-13 Inductees
Enid Bakewell, Brian Lara, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne

2013-14 Inductees
Adam Gilchrist, Debbie Hockley, Bob Simpson and Waqar Younis

2014-15 Inductees
Anil Kumble, Betty Wilson and Martin Crowe (one more to be announced)