Brendon McCullum: Hope Martin Crowe finds peace

Martin Crowe was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame last month

Melbourne, March 28 (IANS) New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum hopes terminally ill Blackcaps legend Martin Crowe will find peace in the time he has left. In a column written for ESPNcricinfo, Crowe had said the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday might be the last game he will witness before life fades out of him.

"My precarious life ahead may not afford me the luxury of many more games to watch and enjoy. So this is likely to be it. The last, maybe, and I can happily live with that," said Crowe.

Speaking about the article, McCullum said Crowe had played a huge role in helping the team achieve such mammoth success, adding that the former cricketer had been an asset to his side.

"I read the article. He's a fantastic writer. What he's going through at the moment is incredibly difficult. We had him involved in the group and not long ago as well we came and spent time with the team and it was great," said McCullum.

"He seems to have really found peace with himself and the game as well. He's been instrumental in helping some of our guys peel back their games and really focus on being able to develop individually but also buy into the team collectively."

The skipper added it is really sad Crowe has to go through such a tough time and hopes he will find peace in the time to come.

"He's been a really big asset and there are many guys as well who have assisted guys individually which has helped the team collectively. So it was really sad what he's going through and we just hope that he's able to find some peace in the time that he's got left," McCullum added.

In 2014, Crowe was diagnosed with lymphoma. He indicated that his chances of survival beyond 12 months were less than 5 percent.