Cricket: The generation gap

By RICHARD BOOCK


Stephen Fleming would probably be the first to acknowledge Martin Crowe's mantle as New Zealand's greatest ever batsman.

The man who this week overtook Crowe as the country's highest test run-scorer, and Sir Richard Hadlee as New Zealand's most capped test player, struck another blow for the millennium team on Wednesday when he posted the country's 12th test double century.

The effort allowed Fleming to join a select group of New Zealanders who have scored two test double-centuries, and pushed the limelight back on to his side after a disappointing series of losses on the test scene.

And if anyone doubted how much the present side felt the pressure from those well-regarded 1980s teams, they only had to watch Fleming on Tuesday night when he reached 82 and paused to celebrate eclipsing Crowe's record.

There used to be a time when players would have no idea about those sorts of milestones until informed after their innings, but the present New Zealand side are clearly mindful of the statistics, and take every opportunity to develop their own identity.

However, when it comes to the debate over New Zealand's best test batsman, Fleming has long believed that Crowe thoroughly deserves the honour and makes the point candidly in his upcoming biography.

At a time when Fleming was streaking through the age-group teams in Canterbury, Crowe was making his mark as one of the greatest batsmen in the world, and would continue on until a knee-injury curtailed his career as a 33-year-old.

If comparisons were to be drawn between the pair at this stage, the stark facts are that Crowe scored almost as many runs in 10 tests less than Fleming, and during that time scored nine more centuries, and ended with an average of 45.36.

And if that isn't enough for the skeptics, it should also be remembered that the great right-hander scored three centuries against the superb West Indian attack of the mid-1980s, and was the star of the 1992 World Cup, later being named player of the tournament.

So it was no great surprise to hear former New Zealand wicket-keeper Ian Smith qualify Fleming's achievements on radio yesterday morning, when he passed the opinion that - in terms of test batting, the present captain wasn't a patch on his old team-mate.

This wasn't meant to be a slur on Fleming but rather a rich endorsement of Crowe, who was a princely right-hander in his time, with the balance, poise and execution to rate amongst the best in the game.

There might be those who would argue that Glenn Turner - of the modern internationals - was a superior batsman, but Crowe was a more dynamic player from the outset, and was measured over a much longer career; 77 tests compared with 41.

For all that, Fleming's team remain distinctly wary of the 1980s players, many of whom moved into other areas of the game once their playing careers were ended.

Crowe is the executive producer of Sky Television's cricket telecasts, and Smith is one of the foremost television commentators in the world, as is Jeremy Coney. Martin Snedden is New Zealand Cricket's chief executive, John F. Reid manages the High Performance Centre, Dayle Hadlee is the academy coach and his younger brother Richard is the manager of the selection panel.

It might be going too far to suggest that Fleming's side regard the former stars as a type of 1980s mafia, but there has definitely been some friction between the groups over the years, and especially after criticism during television commentaries.

The worst was undoubtedly during last year's players' strike, when Fleming fell out with many of the former players over the industrial action, and had an especially chilly relationship with Snedden.

That saga might be long forgotten now, but it seems that the present side still see the 1980s ghosts as a challenge rather than as a help, and enjoy taking every chance to move away from their not-insignificant shadow.

It's a bit like a younger sibling tiring of the constant criticism from an older brother or sister, and becoming determined to make their own way in the world, and to learn from their own mistakes.

The funny thing is, the longer Fleming continues to impress in the international arena, the greater the chance that he'll end up involved in the game after his retirement, playing a role in either the administration or the media.

If he does, it will be interesting to see how he copes with the younger generation, once the boot is on the other foot.