h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Martin Crowe, one of the finest batsman New Zealand has produced, was one of the more elegant players in the game. His graceful shots were superbly timed rather than hit hard. An excellent captain who really knew how to use what were at times limited resources. Crowe was a player who could counter any bowling side in the world and could make batting look easy even on bowler-friendly pitches. An excellent player of spin he was also a good fielder. He occasionally made useful contributions as a medium paced bowler being quite effective as a partnership-breaker.

Thanks, Loony, Crowe Jr is certainly a strong candidate. I don't know much about the history of NZ cricket (though I now it has plenty) - is there a candidate from an earlier age you'd like to add? -I can see already that 2 rather than 1 will be the norm. What about Bert Sutcliffe?

But thanks for this one, at least. As a Somerset fan, I certainly appreciated Crowe's contribution - even if I didn't always as an Englishman

If I added a category of "Great Captains", would Crowe be in the running for that? What about Geoff Howarth? Or again, anyone from days gone further by?