| Player: | JJ Crowe, RS Madugalle, MJ Procter, BC Broad, RS Mahanama, CW Smith, R Subba Row |
No stranger to compiling centuries during his playing career for Auckland and New Zealand, Jeff Crowe of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees has reached that landmark again.
Today, as Kenya hosts Zimbabwe at Nairobi Gymkhana for the third match in a five-game series, Crowe notched up 100 One-Day Internationals as an ICC match referee. To mark the occasion, ICCs High Performance Manager Richard Done made a presentation to the New Zealander before the game on behalf of the ICC.
I would like to congratulate Jeff on his achievement, said ICC Umpires and Referees Manager Vince van der Bijl.
Since starting out on this chapter of his career in 2004, Jeff has established himself as an excellent match referee. He brings with him a deep understanding of the game, having played it at the highest level for many years, and also a real empathy for how cricket should be played, said van der Bijl.
As a player he had a sound technique and was never short of courage and I think he brings those same qualities to bear as a referee. He knows the processes and how they work but he also has the courage of his convictions to implement them effectively and without fear or favour, for the good of the game.
As a front-line batsman Crowe played 180 first-class matches scoring 22 centuries in all. He made his debut for New Zealand in 1983 appearing in 39 Tests and 75 ODIs over a period of eight years, scoring three centuries.
It would have been nice to have played more and therefore been more successful at international cricket but refereeing is another great way of experiencing our game, said Crowe, who raises his metaphorical bat today with a century of ODIs in charge of the playing control team.
It has been a century well worth the four-and-a-half years of singles to midwicket! My time with ICC has been as enjoyable and rewarding as it was years ago with NZ Cricket. To remain involved in the game as an administrator is a privilege, he said.
Crowe becomes the eighth ICC match referee to officiate in 100 or more ODIs and the first to hail from New Zealand having just managed to overtake his countryman, John Reid, who refereed 98 ODIs between 1993 and 2002. Apart from ODIs, Crowe has also refereed 29 Tests and 10 Twenty20 Internationals and officiated at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 final in the West Indies.
ICC Match Referee (span) ODIs
Ranjan Madugalle (1993-date) 223
Mike Procter (2002-08) 162
Chris Broad (2004-date) 136
Clive Lloyd (1992-2007) 133
Raman Subba Row (1992-2001) 119
Cammie Smith (1993-2002) 118
Roshan Mahanama (2004-08) 106
Jeff Crowe (2004-date) 100
For more information about ICC match officials go to: http://icc-cricket.yahoo.com/about-icc/match-officials.html