Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe has died of cancer at the age of 53.

Crowe is survived by wife Lorraine Downes, daughter Emma and step-children Hilton and Jasmine

The ex-Black Caps batsman had been suffering from lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system, for a second time.

Auckland-born Crowe is widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s best ever batsman, having scored 17 centuries and 5,444 runs in 77 Tests at an average of 45.36.

He was named one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year in 1985 and was player of the tournament in the 1992 World Cup after scoring 456 runs in nine matches.

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